


Under Pressure

by BirdOfHermes



Series: Under Pressure [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Avenger Reader (Marvel), Avengers Tower, Dirty Talk, Dom Loki (Marvel), Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Avengers, Dream Sex, Elemental Magic, F/M, Flirting, Friends With Benefits, Hand Jobs, Huddling For Warmth, Ice Play, Living Together, Oral Sex, Orphaned Reader, POV Original Female Character, Post-Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Pre-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Rough Oral Sex, Rough Sex, Slow Burn, Snow and Ice, Spanking, Titjob, Touch-Starved, Wet Dream, no y/n
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-29
Packaged: 2019-07-29 08:41:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 39,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes
Summary: Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, and Vision are all off planet, leaving the Avengers short a few members, so Tony Stark recruits you--an enhanced heroine with ice powers--to pull some extra weight as a temporary Avenger until they return. He also drops an assignment in your lap: keep an eye on the newly reformed Loki to make sure he doesn't return to his wicked ways. It's easier said than done.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sigh. Why does my brain constantly give me like a thousand fanfic ideas and needle me into posting them? And why am I still this thirsty for Loki? Bloody hell.
> 
> Welp, let's dive into it together, shall we?
> 
> This is a loose AU only because Infinity War doesn't happen and Civil War has been amended so that the Avengers got back together after there was an amendment to the Accords. Bucky is still recovering in Wakanda. Thor brought the Asgardians/Sakaarians to Earth as planned and nobody died, because I said so. 
> 
> Also, be a bit patient. This reader is a little more skittish than others, so she's not exactly ready to take the plunge right away. Hopefully, this is interesting enough to keep your attention. If not, just lie to me.
> 
> Reader is a twenty-something. Above legal drinking age, hence why Tony calls her "kid" since he's old enough to be her father.

_"Cause love's such an old fashioned word_  
_And love dares you to care for the people on the edge of the night_  
_And love dares you to change our way of caring about ourselves_  
_This is our last dance_  
_This is ourselves under pressure..."_  
_-"Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Queen_

Life was so much simpler before aliens invaded New York.

Six years ago, I'd have still been in my tiny apartment sketching something to paint later, a mug of earl grey tea cooling on my coffee table, some smooth R&B grooving through the air. Now, I stood inside the lobby of none other than the goddamn Avengers facility in upstate New York with a duffel bag over one shoulder and sweaty palms.

Hoo boy. What a difference six years makes.

I walked over to the small panel beside the elevator and cleared my throat. "Uh, hi there."

A pleasant Scottish woman's voice spoke, making me jump a bit. "Good morning. You have an appointment with Mr. Stark, do you not?"

"That I do," I said, trying not to sound resigned.

"He's on his way down now."

"Thanks, FRIDAY."

She wasn't lying; not three seconds later, the third elevator slid open to reveal my new boss, Tony Stark.

"Frosty!" he said by way of greeting, smiling ear to ear. "You made it."

I sighed. "I have asked you repeatedly not to call me that, Mr. Stark."

"First of all, it's Tony," he insisted as he shook my hand. "We don't do last names here except for the kid, and he's on summer vacation right now."

"Kid?"

"Spider-Man," he said as he gestured towards the elevator. "But 'man' is being generous. He's a bit on the young side, but it sounds better than Spider-Boy, I admit."

"Ah," I said, watching him punch the button to the third floor.

"Second of all, we keep it friendly here, and that usually results in nicknames. You're an ice gal. Therefore, Frosty."

"It's better than Elsa," I grumbled.

Tony shook his head. "If I heard that stupid song one more time in a supermarket, I was going to buy Disney just so I could delete that movie from existence."

I grinned then. "Hell, Stark, maybe we will get along after all."

He snorted. "Don't bet on it. You'll hate me by the end of your first week, no worries."

The doors hissed open to spill us into a hallway. "Alright, so, lay of the land: third floor is barracks. No one shares. Everyone's got a kitchen and a private bathroom, but there's a breakroom on every floor for convenience. Second floor holds the lab, the gym, and the weapons vault. First floor has conference rooms, the library, and the garage. FRIDAY can call you a ride 24/7 and I've contracted a specific company that's discreet so you don't get any weirdos or fanboys figuring out where you are. You're welcome to rent a car for the duration of your stay if you want, but just keep a low profile and make sure no one follows you back. No need for security badges or anything; your biometrics take care of it all for entry."

"Is any of the team here?" I asked.

"Yeah, some of them are rattling around in here with me," Tony said as we strode. "After they amended the Accords, we had everyone return to the fold that wanted to come in and that's why we need you. Our big fellas are off-world right now, which includes Cap, Vision, Thor, and Banner. We needed some big guns as well as someone agile to keep an eye out for trouble, since it's pretty much inevitable."

I arched an eyebrow. "I notice you didn't include a certain someone in the Big Fella category."

Tony rolled his eyes. "That was out of spite."

We stopped in the doorway to the breakroom. It was enormous, enough to comfortably fit probably ten or so people, and had been neatly divided between an actual breakroom and a recreation room. To the right was a kitchen with a ton of cabinets, granite countertops, two sinks, two fridges, and a gigantic stove. There was an island counter with stools surrounding it. Across the open space was a ping pong table, pool table, dart board against the wall, and the far wall had a movie-theater sized screen with a circular couch with enough seats for about six people as well as a few love seats scattered around.

And in one of those love seats sat the God of Mischief.

Loki.

The demigod had one long leg crossed, a book in his hand, lazily reclined like a well-fed tiger. He didn't bother glancing up, although I was certain he could hear us both.

"Speak of the devil," Tony said with plenty of sarcasm. "Do they not have manners on Asgard?"

Loki pointedly licked his fingertip, turned a page, and kept ignoring me. Tony rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "As you can see, it's going great having him here. Regular old ray of sunshine."

"Well, what did you expect? I mean, he did try to conquer the whole planet. He's not exactly going to be the nicest person one could ever meet."

"Point taken. And this way we can at least keep tabs on him."

I arched an eyebrow. "You're doing a bang up job."

Tony frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I just stared at him. He jerked slightly when he got it, frowned harder, and then said, "FRIDAY?"

A light in the ceiling of the breakroom clicked on, scanned Loki, and then she confirmed, "She is correct. He's not in the room, boss."

Tony pinched the bridge of his nose as Loki's illusion finally glanced up with an evil little smile, his blue-green eyes sparkling with, well, _mischief_. However, he didn't look at Tony; he instead looked at me.

"Well, well," Loki purred. "Now there's a talent."

"FRIDAY, where is he?" Tony asked, exasperated.

"You ought to learn from our new guest, Stark," Loki said from behind us. Tony jumped. I didn't.

The image of him disappeared inside the breakroom and I turned to face the real God of Mischief. He was taller than he looked on television during the New York invasion. He didn't have his Asgardian clothing on, either, to my surprise. Instead, he wore a black suit with a gold tie. He had perfect posture and his hands were crossed behind his back. He stared down at me with a heavy scrutinizing look, probably trying to figure out how I'd known it wasn't the real him I'd been seeing.

"Mind telling me how you saw through my illusion, darling?" he asked.

"Yes," I said flatly.

He grinned. "Oh, I like her already."

He reached out, scooped up my hand, and kissed it. I remained nonplussed and tugged my hand loose.

"Loki," Tony said in warning. "Don't you have somewhere else to haunt?"

Loki flicked an annoyed look at Tony then. "Don't you have a planet to fail to protect?"

"It's still here, isn't it?"

Loki snorted. "For now."

Tony sighed again and beckoned me. "Great first impression as usual, Alice Cooper. C'mon, kid, I'll show you to your room."

We continued down the hallway. I glanced over my shoulder, trying to be at least a tiny bit subtle. Loki caught my gaze and winked at me before loping into the breakroom. I cursed under my breath and pretended I wasn't blushing that he'd caught me.

As discussed, the door to my room whooshed open when I did a retinal scan. It was spacious, thank God, with the living area to my right, the kitchen to my left, and the bedroom straight ahead. Everything had been done in neutral black and grey, so I could decorate if I felt like it, but my assignment was only for two months, possibly three, so I wasn't sure if I'd bother.

"Home sweet home," Tony said. "Get settled and comfy. I'll meet you in conference room one at eight to go over your assignment details. If you need anything, holler for FRIDAY and she'll get you taken care of."

"Thanks. See you then."

He winked at me before hitting the door release. "Welcome to the Avengers, Frosty."

* * *

At eight o'clock, I made my way down to the conference room where Tony and two fresh mugs of coffee were waiting for me. I preferred tea, but the gesture was nice enough that I still accepted it anyway. He had a fat manila folder on the desk at the end of the conference table and the door locked automatically behind us.

"Alright, kid, I'll get right to it," Tony said, leaning back in his chair, his brown eyes no longer jovial. "I didn't just hire you for team support. I want you to keep an eye on Loki."

My jaw dropped.

_"Excuse me?"_

"Thor is off world," Tony said, sitting forward and clasping his hands. "So is his friend, Valkyrie. With all our heavy hitters in the ether, there's a good chance Loki might, for lack of a better word, relapse. We need someone who has the capability of stopping him if he goes back to his wicked ways."

"Stark, you're mental. I'm at best a metahuman. I wasn't born with this power. During the New York invasion, I touched some freaky ass reactor on one of the Chitauri ships and it gave me these abilities. I am absolutely no match for a demigod."

He shook his head. "Kid, I saw the footage. I saw what you did in Berlin. You saved that entire village on your own, no backup, no fancy equipment, no combat expertise. Why do you think I called you in the first place? You're a natural at this stuff and you've got a heart."

My heart fluttered a little bit at his words. Coming from a bonafide superhero who had saved the earth multiple times, that was one hell of a compliment. "It was dumb luck."

"Luck might've been involved, but that's not the whole story. You have skills. You're smart. You're discreet. I have every confidence in you that you could take him."

I opened my mouth to protest, but he held up a hand in supplication. "If it came to that. Look, I'm not asking you to do anything that will endanger your life. All I'm asking is that you keep your ear to the ground when I'm not in the tower. FRIDAY is amazing, but she's just a program. She doesn't have intuition and she can only do as instructed. Loki may be a demigod, but he's still just a man. She can't keep up with him, and I think that you can."

I raked my fingers through my hair. "Shit, Tony, this is a bad idea. If he finds out you hired me to spy on him while Thor is gone, it could cause the very thing you're worried about. People don't just wake up monsters. Sometimes they become monsters because we treat them like monsters."

His expression hardened. "Look, you think I don't know that, kid? Cap and I busted up the Avengers over this same issue with his pal Bucky. I know monsters. I know them well. I'm not saying Loki will relapse. I'm saying that I am prepared if it happens while Thor is gone. Loki would never admit it, but he cares what Thor thinks about him. Thor is the only one who can talk sense into him, and he's not going to be back for a while. All I'm trying to do is create a contingency plan. You don't have to do anything except surveillance. Check his pulse. That sort of thing."

I crossed my arms. "And why me? I can't be the only heavy hitter on the planet."

He gestured to me. "Tell me how you knew he wasn't in that breakroom earlier."

I eyed him for a moment, but conceded. "I can sense magic. I can sense people with magical abilities around me. I knew he wasn't there because I felt it."

"Exactly," Tony said. "So you would know if he left the facility and just had his copy walking around to keep up appearances. You're a walking Loki GPS, if I'm being technical."

"Gee, that's very flattering, Tony."

"I'm not asking you to babysit," he insisted. "Keep an eye out. Don't act. If he does something suspicious, come to me and I'll figure things out. It's that simple."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "And what if I blow my cover and he finds out?"

"He won't," Tony said. "But if somehow he does, I've got your back. I promise."

We stared at each other for a long while. I blew out air from between my pursed lips and shut my eyes. Such a bad idea. I could walk. Say goodbye to the facility and return home. But it's not like I belonged there. I'd been drifting from one dead end job to another, hoping to stay under the radar. The Avengers could become home someday, and Tony was basically the head of the household. Wouldn't be the best idea to let him down.

"Alright," I said softly. "Within reason, I'll keep an eye on him."

"Thank you," Tony said sincerely. He patted the folder in front of me. "This is your packet. It's got all the relevant info on the team and the facility that you need, but I'm here if you have any questions. My suggestion is you start beefing up on your combat skills. Wanda, Sam, and Widow should be around, so start with them. I'll be gone for most of the day, but you can always reach me on the emergency channel. If something goes down, we'll suit up, assess, and then let you know if you're on active duty."

We both rose and exited the conference room. He paused, as if considering something. I tilted my head slightly. "What?"

"No offense," he said. "But Loki's a bit...fond, I'll say, of young, beautiful women. Be careful."

I arched an eyebrow. He coughed. "Sorry, but I had to say it out loud. Guy's handsome and he talks pretty and he's got that whole bad boy thing going for him. He might try something with you, is all I'm saying."

"I'm sure by now he's used to disappointment."

Tony patted my shoulder and grinned as he put on his sunglasses. "Atta girl. Catch you later, kid."

I watched him go and then headed upstairs to start unpacking for the next crazy chapter of my life.

* * *

The remainder of my day got taken up by reading through my packet and then getting acquainted with Wanda, Natasha, and Sam. Wanda was a little wary of me since I too had gotten my powers from an alien source, but she gladly began to teach me how to integrate my powers into the basic fighting style that Sam and Natasha started me on. We didn't do anything fancy. I showed them my abilities and the extent of my fighting skills while they gave me instructions on where to start studying. It would be an ongoing process and I'd never hope to get as good as they were anytime soon, but it was encouraging to see how good I could get for the duration of my stay.

I sent out for groceries by way of FRIDAY--who was the most helpful digital butler a gal could wish for--and decided the best way to say thank you would be to start with something simple that everyone could enjoy: chocolate chip cookies. No one could say no to cookies, dammit.

"And what, pray tell, are you doing up at this hour, darling?"

I stiffened slightly as I heard the low sinister purr of a certain Asgardian. I'd been kneeling in front of one of the cabinets on the hunt for a cookie sheet. Loki stood to one side of the island counter, one dark eyebrow raised, dressed in casual clothing this time. He wore a black V-neck shirt and silk pajama pants with moccasins. I'd wanted to surprise everyone in the morning, so it was about two o'clock and the facility was dead silent.

"I'm a bit of a night owl," I confessed, shutting the cabinet. "Plus, late night cookies are the best cookies."

"Ah," he said. "I do suppose forbidden things are the most delicious."

I rolled my eyes. "You need better lines, Loki. That's got dust on it, it's so old."

He gave me a look of surprise and then laughed. "Sharp tongue, have we? Good. You'll need it."

He squatted and pulled the drawer out from underneath the oven, offering me the cookie sheet. I accepted it. "Thank you. And also, why do you even know what this is? I thought you were an alien."

"I've been on Midgard for months now," Loki said, crossing his arms and leaning against one end of the counter as he watched me gather ingredients. "And I used to come here all the time in my younger years to observe. Besides, you're not terribly complex creatures."

"Yes, us poor little humans," I said, slicing the butter and placing it in a dish to be microwaved. "We tremble in the presence of you gods."

Loki chuckled. "I suppose I could say something trite like, 'I can make you tremble, alright' but then it wouldn't work on you, would it?"

"Not hardly." _Beep._ I took it out and poured the melted butter into the sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract.

"And just what would work on you, darling?"

I batted my eyelashes at him. "You're smart. Figure it out."

His eyes sparkled at me. "Elusive prey is the best kind."

I shook my head and measured the remaining dry ingredients. "I can't believe you're even interested in human women in the first place. I thought you considered us to be insects or something."

"At first," he agreed. "Upon closer inspection, I've come to find not all of you are as insipid as say your employer."

I snorted as I stirred the cookie batter. "That's the pot calling the kettle black."

"Pardon?"

I waved a hand. "It's a saying. Nevermind."

"You're implying that I'm a hypocrite?"

"The biggest hypocrite."

Loki scowled. "And you know this how?"

"You tried to conquer the planet, dude. You're kind of an asshole."

"And you feel confident to assume my past actions make me the man that I am entirely?"

"Maybe not, but it's a pretty big statement," I said, dumping the chocolate chips into the bowl and stirring some more.

"Which is what, exactly?"

His last question came out as a hiss. Static popped along my skin. The air felt drier and colder now. We were both getting agitated. I probably shouldn't have shot my mouth off. I'd insulted him. Then again, I mean, fuck this guy. He was a war criminal, after all. I didn't owe him a damn thing.

"Look, I don't know you, Loki," I said finally. "All I know is the stories. I'm just saying a girl might be a bit wary of a former warlord when she's baking cookies alone with him in the middle of the night."

"A wise decision indeed," Loki said, pushing off from the counter and stalking towards me. I held my ground, but it was difficult not to flinch as he stepped right in front of me with barely a few inches between us. He lowered his lashes over those nearly opalescent eyes, staring down like he wanted to crack me open and examine my many working pieces.

Instead, he stuck one finger into the bowl, dug out a glob of cookie batter, and tasted it. I blinked once, slowly, completely blindsided by the gesture.

Loki smiled slowly at my stunned expression. "Delicious."

Then he winked at me, turned, and left the kitchen with a smug, "Goodnight, darling."

-

Spoiler alert: everyone loved the chocolate chip cookies.

Even Loki.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader gets settled in her new role as a temporary Avenger.

The next week at the Avengers facility all but flew by as I got into the swing of things. As a new recruit, and technically a temp, they kept me busy between training and sending me on smaller assignments that were suited to my capabilities. Tony met with the city's firefighters and coordinated to loan me to them for any large scale fires they had, since my ice powers could be a huge help to reduce the danger for them and provide a better opportunity to save anyone trapped inside a burning building.

Essentially, FRIDAY monitored all police frequencies for emergencies that reached a certain level of urgency that required deployment. Most of the time, the threats weren't enough that the entire team needed to deal with them. Often, Tony sent us out in pairs. Loki never left the facility unless in one of his disguises, since the world would go insane if they knew he'd returned. Tony had told me Doctor Strange had a frank conversation with him and Thor, informing them that if Loki even showed one tiny hint of wanting to rule anything ever again, he'd take care of him. Apparently, I was going to be the whistleblower, in that instance. It was messed up to think that I'd be directly responsible for Loki's demise. If I thought about it for too long, it made me want to pack up and bail.

Once I understood the rhythm of things, then I began to carefully keep track of Loki's routine. Understandably, he mostly kept to himself. He spent a large amount of time in his own suite, but when he appeared, he did things regularly. He went for morning runs around the grounds, went for a swim, did some training with Natasha in the gym, watched one new movie in the mini-movie theater breakroom, read in the library, and then retired to his room in the evening. I knew from the records of previous skirmishes that they'd deployed him in the field for larger scale problems, like former Hydra agents or retrieving stolen alien tech. He stayed out of the public eye, since even with a disguise, people would want to keep track of any powered individuals and we didn't want to risk it.

After our late night cookie confrontation, he kept a suspiciously polite distance away from me, but he did observe my progress when I practiced in the gym with the other team members. It was slightly harder to concentrate when I felt that penetrating gaze on me, but I managed. I didn't feel as if the interest was dangerous yet. He seemed...curious. Like he wanted to know what made me tick. I tried to assign it a rational thought, at least. Maybe since Wanda was the only magic user in the facility, and she had zero regard for him, he wanted a new target. As the days passed, I sensed something on the horizon. I knew the night I baked cookies wouldn't be the last time we were alone together.

But I wasn't like my ice. I didn't crack under pressure.

Midway through my second week, I had a random bout of insomnia. I got those sometimes. Anxiety.

The nifty thing about all the bedrooms was that they were sound proofed, so I decided to make some popcorn and watch a movie in the breakroom until I got sleepy. Sam had joined me for the first third of Troy on Netflix before he got sleepy and tapped out, wishing me good night.

Lo and behold, who should appear a while later but the God of Mischief once again.

"Loki," I said mildly, crunching into another handful of popcorn.

"Night owl," he said in return, slight humor in his tone as he lowered his lanky frame onto the couch to my right. "You really weren't lying, were you?"

"Nope. What's your excuse?"

"Predators come out at night."

I made a show of rolling my eyes and he chuckled. We watched one of the battle sequences before I noticed a hand creeping over in my peripheral. Automatically, I smacked it. Then I realized he'd been reaching for the popcorn, not my, ahem, chest. Still, I aimed a glare at him.

"Ask first before you just go touching things, Loki."

His eyes gleamed and his grin stretched wide and nefarious. "My apologies, darling. May I?"

I set the bowl between us and pretended I wasn't blushing. Stupid double entendre. "Fine. Just don't hog it all."

We shared the popcorn, and the bowl was large enough that only our knuckles brushed every so often. I ignored the small skin contact as much as possible, hoping the awkwardness of watching a movie on the couch with a literal Norse god would wear off.

So, naturally, a few minutes later, the Achilles and Briseis love scene started.

God hates me.

"Oh my," Loki drawled once Achilles rolled on top of Briseis. "You may want to cover your eyes, darling."

I snorted. "And miss the glorious naked ass of Brad Pitt? No way."

Loki laughed. I cast a sidelong glance at him. "What?"

"You're not the fair maiden I thought you would be."

"Fair maiden?" I asked incredulously. "Where'd you get that idea?"

"You blush a lot and you embarrass easily."

"I do _not_ ," I growled.

Loki lifted an eyebrow. Then he leaned over and ate the popcorn straight off my fingers.

His lips were warm and soft and brushed my fingertips. I snatched my hand away with a yip of surprise, and sure enough, blushed furiously.

He grinned at me as he straightened. "Case in point, darling."

"You know what? No more popcorn for you." I sat the bowl squarely in my lap while he just chuckled some more. Insufferable prick.

"He wasn't wrong, you know," Loki said a while later.

"Who?" I asked absently, my anger forgotten since the film had been keeping my attention.

"Achilles. About immortality."

I glanced at Loki in surprise. "Which part?"

"That we envy your mortality," he said, blue eyes still fixed on the screen. "That things have more significance because you will all die one day."

My breath caught for a second. "But I thought Asgardians can die."

"Technically, yes, if there is a being powerful enough to kill us, but our natural state is to carry on for centuries. That is a lot of time. One can lose sight of what is important without the looming presence of death."

Wow. That was...insightful. I hadn't thought about what it did to a person's values when they wouldn't have to come to terms with death the way human beings did. Most, if not all, of our decisions were dictated around the knowledge that we wouldn't be around forever.

"It sounds like a lot of responsibility," I said. "Keeping memories alive for that long."

"It is," he whispered. He rested his head back along the back of the couch. After a moment or two, I realized this was the most relaxed I'd ever seen him since I arrived here. Odd.

I offered him the popcorn again. He smiled at me and took another handful. I sank into the squishy cushions and allowed myself to relax as well.

The last thing I remembered were Achilles' words.

_"Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed."_

-

"Well, isn't this a Kodak moment?"

Natasha's sarcasm woke me up.

Wait.

I'd been asleep?

My eyes didn't want to open. I was so warm and comfortable, but I also knew for a fact that I wasn't in my bed. My legs were curled up and tucked against something warm and firm. I'd crossed my arms under my breasts and my head lay to one side. Some of my hair had escaped the ponytail and fluttered by my temple, disturbed by rhythmic warm air.

I summoned the energy to open my eyes and found myself staring at Loki's sleeping face.

I'd fallen asleep on the couch.

Cuddling the God of Mischief.

 _Fuck_ me.

I'd curled up against him for warmth sometime during the night, it seemed. My head was on his outstretched arm along the back of the couch and my knees were pressed up along his chest and abs. His face was so close to mine that every breath brushed my cheeks, nose, and lips. Jesus H. Christ. How had I not noticed I'd drifted off? And how the hell did I even get in this position?

Loki cleared his throat a bit as he started to wake up, and as he stirred, our lips brushed and sent a thrill tingling down my spine. I scrambled backwards and nearly knocked the empty popcorn bowl onto the floor in my haste. Natasha chuckled and padded back towards the kitchen, shaking her head at me. Loki's eyes drifted open, drowsiness draped over his expression, and his gaze settled on me after a moment or two. He frowned as he realized that he was still in the breakroom as well and sat up straight, smacking his lips. "What time is it?"

I checked my watch. "Seven o'clock."

He winced. "Missed my morning run schedule. That's the last time I spend a late night with you, darling."

I glared at him as he stood and stretched. "Phrasing."

He tossed me a catty little smirk over his shoulder as he strode for his room. "I meant what I said."

I seethed as he disappeared around the corner. I cleaned the bits of popcorn off the couch and dumped the bowl in the sink, clearing my throat as I watched Nat bring out some eggs from the fridge. "That wasn't--we didn't--nothing happened."

"Relax," she said. "I was only teasing. I know better, and I know you know better."

She paused, lifting her eyebrows. "Right?"

"Right," I said. "Absolutely."

"But," she said, pouring us both glasses of orange juice and offering me one. "In the event that something does happen, please feel free to tell me all about it. Girl's got to live vicariously sometimes."

"Ha-ha," I growled, to which she laughed. "When pigs fly."

"Stranger things have happened."

She turned on the burner and gave me a demure little smile. "Besides...he likes the cold."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter. Next one's longer.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki get an assignment in Alaska that goes sideways.

A couple of days later, Tony paged me on the overhead speaker in my room.

"Hey, Frosty. You, Loki, Quinjet, now. Pack an overnight bag."

He didn't tell a joke. That meant things were serious. I threw on my combat suit, tossed some clothes in my duffel bag, and hurried out of my room. Loki met me in the elevator and we rode it down together and then went to the hangar where Tony was waiting for us. He had one of his digital pads out showing footage of what appeared to be a ten foot monster on a snow-drenched hill, wreaking havoc on a small team of police officers.

"We have a visitor," Tony said, flipping the footage out into a 3D display. It slowed down and brought the creature up in actual size. It towered over all three of us, had antlers, ice-caked clumpy grey fur, stood on two feet, and had goat-like legs but bipedal arms and hands.

"It's a bilgesnipe," Loki said immediately. "A young one, by the look of things."

"Right, that's why you're tagging along, Kylo Ren. I want you and Frosty to take this thing out with extreme prejudice. You're off to Alaska. Coordinates are already in the console. I've set the jet to go Mach two, maybe three if we can push it. It's already killed two people and it'll kill a lot more if we don't get a handle on things."

I nodded tightly. "Understood."

"Equipment's already loaded. Loki, brief her on its anatomy on the way and call me when you land. Be careful, kid."

"Got it, boss." I climbed aboard the Quinjet and secured us for takeoff. The hangar doors opened and we shot off into the sky.

"I take it you don't have giants on this planet?" Loki asked as he sat down across from me.

"No, unless you count The Rock."

He snorted before continuing. "Bilgesnipe are repulsive cave-dwellers. They're not sentient. They act based on hunger and territory. They are very hard to kill, but not impossible. They are relatively agile, but they aren't very graceful. Concentrate on their joints. Get it on the ground or on all fours. We'll have to bleed it. They have extremely thick skin, so you want soft targets like the eyes and ears. Don't let it get any distance on you. They'll gore you in half if you let them."

"Okay. What's the plan?"

"You'll be the distraction. Ice won't hurt it, but it'll slow it down enough for me to hit its major arteries. I'll get as many as possible and then we retreat to get it to chase us. Then it'll bleed to death."

"How do you think it got here?"

"There are a lot of hidden paths to Midgard from space, and bilgesnipe were not exclusive to Asgard. It could be an accident or it could be intentional, like someone testing the mortals' abilities to deal with such monsters."

"Which do you think it is?"

"It seems deliberate. The universe is too large and this planet too small for a snow-dwelling creature to land in its proper climate."

I smiled a bit. "Not a big believer in coincidence, huh?"

He matched the smile. "Not in the slightest, darling."

I sighed. "You and this pet name. I noticed you don't call Natasha 'darling,' you know."

"That is because that woman is the furthest thing from a darling."

I crossed my arms and scowled at him. "And what makes me a darling in your eyes?"

He studied me. "Life hasn't hardened your heart yet. It will. But until such a time, you are a darling."

I wasn't sure what I had expected him to say, but it certainly hadn't been that. He had a knack for making me reevaluate things. "Even so, it can come across as condescending, just so you know."

"Shall I give you another pet name, then?"

I scowled at him. "I get the feeling it would just be more disturbing than darling. Let's not tempt fate, your highness."

"See? We are getting to know each other better." He licked his lips. "To that end, might I inquire as to how you came into your magic?"

"Oh, I have you to thank for that."

He cocked his head and lifted his brows. "New York. I was hiding out in a basement and something crash-landed. While I was crawling out, I came across some sort of alien reactor. I accidentally brushed it and it... _changed_ me."

His expression sobered. "I see. What did you do after that?"

"It was difficult to control at first, so I went on the run and isolated myself until I got a handle on my abilities. Then I just laid low until I was traveling through Berlin. A bridge collapsed, so I intervened and got everyone to safety. Someone recorded it and then it went viral and that's when I got the name Hailstone. I'd been helping people here and there when possible, but I decided I might as well go legit after the bridge incident. Tony found me not long after that."

"And the rest, as they say, is history. What is it that you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"Do you want to belong here, among the Avengers?"

I swallowed. "I...don't know that I deserve to be here."

"You risk your life in service to mankind. How do you not deserve to be here?"

I shrugged. "I know, but what they do is so different. They've stopped extinction level events. At best, I've put out fires."

"It's not about being worthy of these people, however powerful they are. At the end of the day, they are only human. You have that in common. It's why I can never truly be an Avenger to begin with, not like my brother."

"So this is temporary for you too?"

Loki glanced out at the sky. "More than likely."

"Thor won't be happy to hear that."

"My brother is a fool," he said wryly.

"But he loves you."

Loki sighed. "That he does."

He looked at me again. "And you. Who is it that loves you out there in this chaotic world?"

I crossed my arms under my chest. "Haven't been fortunate enough for that yet."

"Your parents?"

I shook my head. "Orphan. Lost what friends I had after my powers developed."

His stare intensified. I observed my boots for a while. "I see why Stark was drawn to you."

I blinked at him. "Huh?"

Loki shook his head. "We seek out what we see in ourselves. Stark won't ever say it, but he wants a family. Perhaps you do as well."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing."

"Not a bad thing," he said softly. "Dangerous."

"Is that why you prefer to be on your own? You don't want to be vulnerable?"

He let out a hollow chuckle. "To love is to tear open your shirt and invite someone to stab you in the heart. I've been stabbed before. I'd rather not endure it a second time."

"At least you've bled before," I muttered. "Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all."

Loki's smile had a tinge of sadness in it. "That's only something mortals say, darling."

* * *

"GO!" Loki screamed, shoving me forward onto the rickety wooden bridge that hung over the river. I started to race forward, but then I heard a sharp crack and a cry. I turned to see his foot had crunched right through a slat in the bridge. The bilgesnipe was only about three steps away, both its giant fists raised to smash him to bits. Blood matted its fur. If we kept running, it would die in a matter of minutes from the many wounds Loki had inflicted, but there wasn't time for that now. It was going to kill him.

But if I saved him, it might kill me instead.

"Damn you, woman, go!" Loki roared as the bridge shook underneath the beast's weight.

I gritted my teeth. "Fuck it!"

I threw out my hand and sent a blast of ice at the creature's face. Its head rocked back and it bellowed in anger, already smashing one hand against its head to crack the ice. I grabbed Loki underneath his shoulders and yanked with all my might until his ankle came free from the bridge. I pulled his arm over my shoulder to support him as he got his legs beneath him, but then the bilgesnipe charged.

I shoved Loki aside as it bowled into me and knocked me off the bridge.

I blacked out just before I hit the freezing cold water.

The last thing I heard was Loki screaming my name.

-

My head _hurt_.

It felt like something had cracked the base of my skull open like an egg. I could feel a knot throbbing over the spot in time with my heart rate. The pain crackled up through my forehead. My ribs didn't feel much better either, like they'd been bruised at the very least. The more I drifted into consciousness, the more things on my aching body reported their status. Damn, I wanted to go back to sleep.

Groaning, I tried to roll over onto my belly, but I couldn't. I was tucked against something solid that held me in place on my side. The general grogginess slid away from my senses one at a time. I smelled pine oil and mild cologne. I heard the calming rush of someone breathing. I felt feverishly warm naked skin pressed along the front of my body from my shoulders to my toes. When my eyes opened, I finally put two and two together.

Loki and I were naked on a cot aboard the Quinjet, under what felt like three different comforters.

Oh, joy.

"What. The actual. _Fuck_."

Loki shifted. His head had been resting on the crown of my hair and his arms held me tight to his chest and upper torso. One of my thighs was thrown over his hip, the other tangled between his knees. It afforded me the opportunity to feel just how much wiry muscle he'd been hiding beneath his armor, as well as what felt like one hell of a big cock if what rested against my hip bone was any indication.

"Tsk, tsk," Loki tutted. "Those are hardly the words you should say to the man who saved your life."

"First of all, fuck you," I snarled, trying to push away, but the cot was awfully small and I felt the edge digging into my shoulder blade, so I just went still. "Second of all, I saved your life first. Third of all, answer the damn question."

He rolled his eyes. "The bilgesnipe knocked you unconscious when it hit and you both fell in the river. I jumped in after you, brought you back here, and revived you. According to your anatomy books, the best way to stave off hypothermia is--"

"Yeah, yeah, I know what hypothermia is and how to cure it," I snapped. "How long have we been like this and did we kill the bilgesnipe?"

Loki pushed up on his elbow and glanced at the wall opposite us. It gave me a faceful of his chest. My mouth watered slightly and I wanted to die. "Just under two hours. And yes, it's dead."

"Great. Well, I'm not dead, so please get your hands off of me."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I take it back. You are a fair maiden after all."

I blushed in spite of myself. "Loki, we're _naked_."

"Nudity is inconsequential to your need for survival and medical attention. If I had not done this, you would have frozen to death."

"I'm not frozen to death now, so let me go."

He heaved a sigh. "You also have a concussion and bruised ribs. You must lie still until we reach the facility so you won't injure yourself further by moving around."

"You just expect me to keep up the naked cuddling until we get all the way back to _New York?_ " I all but screeched.

He arched an eyebrow. "Is it somehow unpleasant to you?"

I wished for more room to move so I could throw my hands up in exasperation. "No, Loki, because I always cuddle naked with Norse gods that I happen to work with in my free time."

"Darling," he said dryly. "I'm over fifteen-hundred years old. I've seen a naked woman before. I assure you it's not what you're making it out to be."

He peered down at me. "Unless you're a--"

"I'm not a virgin!" I spat. "Goddammit, Loki, how have you spent this much time on earth and you don't know it's highly embarrassing to be naked in front of someone you work with? For God's sake, we barely know each other."

"I'm sure you'll get over it. Now lie still. You're agitating your ribs."

As if that weren't enough, he settled one hand on my arm and pushed me flat underneath him. The blankets gaped enough for me to get another eyeful of the pale lines that made up his slender frame and I demanded that my brain delete as many of these images as possible. He set one of his knees against the edge of the cot to stay propped up and keep his weight off me, but we were still skin-to-skin.

"Besides," he said, brushing my hair away from my forehead and checking a bruise on it. "It's not as if you find me unappealing and vice versa."

"You're not helping."

He smirked. "I know. You're cute when you're flustered."

I glared up at him. "Do you want me to freeze your junk to the side of your leg?"

Loki chuckled. "Such a hostile little thing. And your ice magic doesn't work on me. I'm a Frost Giant, remember?"

"I'll find a way."

"I look forward to it. Now rest."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

I blushed harder. "You...you're distracting me."

He stared at me and then his eyes gleamed in realization. "Ah. Well, I did just say I find you appealing."

"Can't you just scoot over so we're back to back or something?"

"I just said you have internal damage and can't move until we reach the medical bay."

"Fine, then just...think about baseball or something. I can't go to sleep with you like... _that_."

He heaved a sigh. "Honestly, you are the most difficult woman I've ever met."

Loki scooted down somewhat, lifted my leg, and then the pressure near my pelvis disappeared. "Better?"

"Thank you," I said with a breath of relief. It wouldn't do a whole lot for my poor libido, but at least it removed part of the temptation. Tony hadn't been wrong. Loki was terribly, terribly attractive and I hadn't had sex in ages. My heart wouldn't slow down, even in spite of the pain, and my hormone addled brain kept whispering wicked things that I should do to him right now. Stupid brain.

I shut my eyes. Maybe if I didn't look at him, I wouldn't want to jump his bones. Ha. Fat chance.

"You didn't have to do that," Loki said quietly.

"Mm?"

"Save me," he whispered. "But you did."

"Yeah. I did."

"Why?"

"Because you're on my team."

"You think I'm a bastard."

"You're on my team, Loki. End of story."

Loki shifted again. A second later, soft lips touched mine.

I jerked away, gasping, my eyes too wide, adrenaline flushing through me in a rush. "D-Don't."

He blinked at me. "Darling, forgive me. It was only my show of thanks."

"I-I know, I just..." I tried to calm down enough to explain, but my lungs wouldn't cooperate.

"Easy," he said, running his hand up and down my arm soothingly. "Easy. I'm not going to hurt you."

I shook my head. "N-No, that's not why. I just...it's been so long since...I-I haven't been touched in a long time."

He nodded in understanding. "Your temperature hasn't stabilized yet, likely because of your ice magic. I assure you what we're doing right now is necessary. I'll not do anything more to upset you, darling."

Well, look at that. The God of Mischief perfectly understood consent. I'll be damned. Of course, as soon as he said it, I wanted him to take it back. Truth be told, I ached to be touched. And he was insanely handsome and powerful and strangely perceptive. But I couldn't cross that line. After all, Tony had hired me to keep an eye on him, not fall in love with him.

Then again, maybe there was a happy medium somewhere in there...

"Well," I blurted out. "I did save your life. I wouldn't be all that upset if you want to rub my belly until I fall asleep."

Loki lifted an eyebrow. I shrugged. "Don't ask me why, but it knocks me out in nothing flat."

"Such a strange little creature you are," he drawled, his tone heavy with mockery, but yet he lowered one hand and started stroking my tummy. Oh, Lord, yes, please.

I closed my eyes again and hummed a bit. "You'll wake me up before we get there? Stark will never let me live it down if he sees us like this. Neither will Nat."

"You have my word, darling. Now rest."

Well, who was I to defy the gods? 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Reader recovers from the Alaska trip, it turns out Tony has an all new assignment for her.

The team fussed over me quite a bit when they saw the extent of my injuries, but the medic on staff gave me a thorough check and cleared me in just an hour. I'd be on bed rest for the next couple of days, but part of my abilities was that I could heal faster than a normal human, so at least it was a shorter recovery period than average. He also very kindly left me with some mild painkillers until my ribs healed, so I pretty much zonked out for two days straight and woke up not knowing what century it was on the third day.

"Ma'am," FRIDAY chirped. "You have a visitor."

I groaned into the pillow and mumbled something. "I'm afraid I didn't catch that, ma'am."

"Tell them to fuck off."

FRIDAY paused. "I'm afraid my settings won't allow me to do that, ma'am."

I sighed. "I suppose not. One sec."

I shuffled into the bathroom, ran a brush through my hair and splashed some cold water on my face, and then made a slow, crooked beeline to my door.

"It bloody took you long enough," Loki said, a brown paper bag tucked beneath his arm. He wore a white button up shirt and black slacks, no tie.

"What do you want, Loki?" I moaned. "It's too early for this shit."

"First of all, it's noon," he corrected.

I checked my watch. "Oh."

"Second of all, are you going to let me in or shall I let myself in?"

I rolled my eyes and stepped aside. He came in and went to the island counter with his mysterious bag. I shut the door and followed.

"And this is?"

"Lunch," he said, drawing glorious food items from the bag. "You've been out of it for two days. You must be famished."

My stomach growled as I spotted several kinds of sushi and sashimi in little cold rectangular tins. "Marry me."

Loki froze. Oops. I kept forgetting he was Asgardian. I popped one of the tins open and waved a hand to dismiss the joke. "Sorry, it's a hyperbole we say here on Midgard."

"Ah." He watched with amusement as I stuffed half a Philadelphia roll down my gullet and then opened the fridge to hand me a water bottle to wash it down.

"I should save your life more often," I sighed happily. "How'd you know I like sushi?"

"Stark's ever-present assistant informed me of your last lunch order."

"Thanks, FRIDAY."

"You're welcome, ma'am."

"How do you feel?"

"Fit as a fiddle."

Again, he cocked his head to one side. I slapped my forehead. "God, we've got to teach you some metaphors and idioms, stat. It means I'm fine."

"Aside from being moments away from choking on food," he mused, brushing my hair back to look at the bruise on my forehead. I shivered a bit and prayed he didn't notice. Dammit. It really had been a depressingly long time since someone touched me with anything resembling affection.

"Seems to be healing up nicely," he murmured. His hand slid down towards my cheek and he swiped a bit of rice from the corner of my mouth. Briefly, I wondered what he'd do if I sucked his thumb into my mouth. The second the thought surfaced, I shoved it aside. Get a grip, woman.

Loki cleared his throat and let me go. "There. I've assessed that you aren't dead, which should satisfy your employer. Finish your lunch. Oh, and do take a bath before you rejoin society."

I rolled my eyes. "You sure know how to charm a girl, your highness."

Loki considered that for a moment and then picked up a piece of sushi. He bent his head, kissed me, and then popped it into my open mouth.

"Damned right I do."

He left without another word.

* * *

"So," Tony said, arms crossed as he leaned against the wall opposite me. "Anything to report?"

"No," I said. "And yet you seem...worried about the fact that I have nothing to report. Tony, I thought you said you didn't suspect anything and this was just a contingency plan."

He sighed and tucked his hands in his pockets. "Truth be told, quiet bugs me. Something Ultron said once, that sometimes we confuse peace with quiet."

"He works well with the team. He keeps his distance. He's annoying and stuck up and difficult, but he's been doing what he is supposed to do."

Tony gave me a wry smile. "Don't tell me you've got sympathy for the devil."

"I'm not a fan, but I have at the very least come to respect him after Alaska. He could have left me to die. No one was around. No one would have known better, not even if you'd investigated it. That should at least be some evidence that his reform is sticking."

"I know, kid. I do. I'm paranoid as hell, that's all." He paced the length of the table. "Behavior-wise, how is he?"

I shrugged. "Same old, same old. I think it might do him some good if you let him off the grounds for recreational purposes."

Tony frowned. "That could be extraordinarily disastrous."

"So could keeping him cooped up and only letting him out during missions," I countered. "He's a god. He had the entire cosmos at his disposal once, and now we're asking him to stay in one facility. It's not hard to get stir-crazy. You know that better than most."

He exhaled. "Well, he's been here this long without blowing anything up or slitting anyone's throat. Guess that entitles him to at least one small vacation."

"It would be a nice thank you for saving my life and it might endear him to us some more."

"Fat chance, but I'll take your word for it."

I chewed my lower lip. "He did mention that he thinks this is temporary."

"How temporary?"

"He didn't say. But having worked with him, I think after Thor returns, Loki wants to go off planet on his own. Not bother with Midgard entirely, since he'd have to constantly hide who he is down here."

"Wouldn't be against that at all, to tell you the truth, but the Big Guy won't be thrilled to hear it."

"Thor knows Loki better than anyone. I think they can work it out."

"True. It's a weight off my shoulders if he leaves of his own free will. Darken some other doorsteps. Just hope he doesn't return looking for revenge, is all."

I smiled. "All the more reason to give the guy a vacation."

Tony smiled back. "You're not going to like it as much as you think."

"What do I have to do with-- _goddammit_ , Tony."

He held up his hands in supplication. "Come on. Look, I'll make it a group thing. We'll all go to a private beach so it doesn't seem suspicious like we're trying to keep an eye on him."

"If you make it a group thing, he'll probably say no and want to stay here where it's quiet."

Tony rubbed his goatee. "Point taken. But he likes you. That much I know. If you asked him to go, think he'd say yes?"

I blushed. "He doesn't like me. He's...amused by me."

Tony chuckled. "Same thing, kid. At least in Loki's book. Answer the question please."

I scowled at him. "Theoretically, he might say yes. No guarantees."

"Then it's settled. I've got a gorgeous property out in Italy. On the water, no neighbors, so he wouldn't have to throw on the disguise until you go to town for dinner."

I eyed him. "Tony, you want to send me and a supervillain to a Tuscan villa alone together?"

"What?" he said with feigned innocence. "You're the one who suggested a vacation."

"Not with me!"

"I'm giving you a free vacation to Italy and you want to complain about it? God, you millennials."

"You're the one who told me not to get too close to him!"

"So don't," he said. "Maintain a professional relationship. If he gets too friendly, push him off a cliff."

I buried my face in both hands. "You are the worst boss I've ever had, Tony."

"Not the first time I've ever heard that. I'll send you your plane tickets by lunchtime. Get packing, Frosty."

-

"Great," I muttered, a slump in my shoulders as I shuffled down the hallway towards Loki's room. "Just casually ask the Norse god to fly to fucking Italy with you. No big deal."

I ran through about a hundred different scenarios, the worst of which he laughed in my face before slamming the door, and then settled on the one that felt most in-character for me before I knocked on his door. I crossed my arms as I waited, trying in vain not to tap my foot.

Loki answered the door with his usual posh, slightly annoyed, "Yes?"

"Pack your bags," I said. "We're going on vacation in Italy."

Loki stared at me.

Then he smiled slowly.

"I thought you'd never ask."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tony is such a little shit sometimes.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki's "vacation" gets inevitably more complicated than anticipated.

Like Tony Stark himself, the Tuscan villa was lavish, opulent, and completely ridiculous.

Clearly, it had been built with a family in mind, as it had four bedrooms and four bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining area, a fully furnished deck over looking the sea, and a den. There was a long, winding driveway with an iron gate that surrounded the grounds. It was enough of a distance from town and from any other properties that Loki would definitely be allowed to relax and not be sighted. Tony had called ahead to have someone drop off food and supplies so we didn't have to shop unless we felt like it.

"Rich people," I said with a shake of my head as I dragged my suitcase into one of the bedrooms.

"Is it not to your taste, darling?" Loki mused as he opened the door to his own room.

"It's beautiful, but I'm terrified of touching anything. I might break it."

I did a quick perimeter check. FRIDAY hadn't come with us in any way, shape, or form. Aside from my cell phone, I had no link back to the outside world. Just had to rely on myself for now.

"Speaking of breaking..."

I turned to see Loki had appeared directly behind me. He gripped my throat and slammed me into the wall next to the bedroom, then squeezed enough to shut off my air for a few seconds.

I froze.

"Tell me, darling," he murmured from inches away, pinning my gaze with his own, his tall, unyielding frame squishing me to the wall. "How much have you told your beloved Stark about me?"

He loosened his hand enough to let me speak. "What the hell are you--"

"God of Lies," Loki said dismissively. "Don't waste your breath playing innocent. Answer the question."

So the jig was up. If I lived through this, I owed Tony a big fat "I told you so." Rather than panicking, I drew as deep a breath as I could and then gripped Loki's wrist.

"Loki," I said carefully, not flinching under his wild, angry gaze. "Take your hand off me before I remove it permanently."

He let out a dry chuckle. "Don't overestimate yourself. We both know you're not strong enough to stop me."

"You'd be surprised," I said. Cold vapor spilled out of my mouth when I spoke. "Let go of me."

"Why should I? We're all alone out here, darling," he purred. "No one will hear you scream."

I gave him my most patronizing smile. "No one will hear you scream either."

Loki cocked his head slightly. "I could always read your memories, you know. Find out just what you've told him in your pathetic attempts to spy on me."

"I haven't told him anything, you numbskull," I snarled. "Because you haven't done anything."

He scowled. "Doesn't change the fact that I can't bloody trust you. For all I know, you brought me all the way out here to execute me."

"To _what?_ " Finally fed up, I jabbed his elbow with my own, breaking the chokehold, and slipped free. He winced, but didn't reach for me a second time.

"I didn't bring you here to kill you, asshole!" I snapped. "I told Stark you could use a break. That you didn't deserve to be cooped up in that compound like an animal. But of course, in typical God of Mischief form, you somehow misinterpreted me being nice as trying to kill you. That's rich, Loki. Congratulations. You just got rid of the only ally you had left on the team. Enjoy your fucking vacation."

With that, I turned and stormed out of the villa towards the shoreline.

* * *

I stayed on the beach until sundown. I forced myself not to replay the catastrophic argument in my head a thousand times. I texted Stark that my cover had been blown and he called me, panicked, but I told him Loki hadn't hurt me and he calmed down. He apologized thoroughly and said he'd have the jet fueled by morning to bring us back. I wished I could return sooner after such an epic backfire. All that good will, gone in a matter of seconds. I hadn't been careful enough.

Once the sun slipped beneath the horizon, I made the trek back to the villa. I'd sensed that Loki hadn't left it. Didn't think he would. He'd probably holed himself up in his room to brood and maybe give me a piece of his mind when I returned.

I unlocked the front door and walked inside.

I froze.

The dining area was the center of the villa. All the other rooms branched out from it into hallways, but it had been meant to be where everyone congregated. It had a fancy chandelier above the table with bench-style seating rather than separate chairs, which fit the warm, open motif of the villa.

Candles twinkled warm, radiant light at each corner of the table and at the center. I spotted a fresh mixed green salad, a couple baguettes glazed with garlic-butter, an open wine bottle, and a large, deep dish of Tuscany chicken over bowtie pasta.

Loki stood at the head of the table, hands behind his back, his expression very careful. " _Signora._ "

Once the shock wore off, I shut the door and frowned at him. "What's all this?"

"An attempt at an apology."

I let my frown deepen into a scowl. "I don't forgive easily."

"Nor should you," he agreed. "I made a miscalculation based on flimsy evidence and insulted your honor. I lost my temper in the heat of the moment. I felt betrayed and so I decided to take it out on you. For that, I apologize. I don't expect your forgiveness in return, but I ask that you at least allow me to make the proper overtures to repair the damage that has been done."

I really wanted to tell him to shove it up his ass, but my stomach chose that moment to inform me that I'd been sitting on a beach for several hours without eating anything and that it would kill me if I didn't stuff my face. Slowly, I walked over to the table and sat down. Loki's shoulders relaxed just a fraction and he reached for the white wine, pouring a glass for me and then one for himself. We ate.

I wished it was terrible. It wasn't. It was amazing.

Who knew the God of Mischief could cook?

It wasn't until we went for the second round of wine that either of us spoke. "What did Stark say when you told him what happened?"

"He was climbing into the Hulkbuster armor at first, but I talked him down," I said.

"How generous of you," he said without heat. "I'm surprised he didn't fly out here himself to threaten me."

"I told him not to. As much as I'd love to see him beat you to a bloody pulp, it's not worth messing up such a nice place."

"Mm." He linked his fingers and stared at me across the candlelight. "Earlier, you said you had been my only ally on the team. Was that the truth?"

"At the time, yes."

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why? Because I saved your life in Alaska?"

"No," I said quietly. "Because everyone deserves a second chance. You're by far one of the most aggravating people I've ever met and I'd love to break this wine bottle over your head. But I've seen how you've changed since New York. It's not in the things that you say, because those haven't changed. It's in smaller things. If you truly hated us all and planned to enslave humanity again, you wouldn't have eaten those cookies I baked or watched a movie with me when I couldn't sleep or rubbed my belly when I asked you to or bought me lunch or made this dinner for me. You hide it well, but you do care deep down. You have the personality of a rabid honey badger, but you still have something resembling a heart."

He watched me for a while. "So what are you going to tell Stark upon your return?"

"That since you're reformed, he doesn't need me here anymore."

Loki's eyes widened. "You're quitting the Avengers?"

"Yes, I am," I said, rising from the table. "Thanks for dinner."

* * *

I tried to sleep that night. I really did. But I tossed and turned for so long that I finally just sighed and lurched out of bed. I threw on a sundress and went out onto the patio to wait for sunrise alone.

But not for long.

"Can't sleep?" Loki asked quietly, hands in the pockets of his pajama pants. My peripheral vision treated me to the partial sight of his sculpted bare chest. Argh.

"No," I said with the utmost sarcasm. "Clearly I'm asleep right now."

He chuckled. "Do I often appear in your dreams, then?"

I rolled my eyes. "The ones where I beat you the death, yes."

"How lovely." We stared out along the light waves of the sea in silence for a long while.

"What if I told you that I didn't want you to quit the team?" Loki asked quietly.

"So what if you did?"

"What if I left instead?"

I shook my head. "It's not about you."

"What then?"

"I don't belong here. In their world. In your world. I'm a door-stop. Something just there to hold a spot for a while and then be cast aside."

"Why do you think such a thing? Because of how I treated you earlier? Because Stark gave you this ill-advised assignment to look after me?"

"All of the above."

"And you somehow think that our actions are a reflection of who you are? Of what you deserve?"

I whirled on him. "What the hell do you know about what I deserve, Loki? Three weeks ago, you didn't even know I existed."

"And now I do," he said. "And I also know you are taking the easy way out by leaving."

"There is nothing easy about being a freakshow who can freeze a person solid with one touch."

"Where will you go, then?" he retorted, stepping close enough to invade my personal space, forcing me to look all the way up into his face. "Return to hiding like a meek little church mouse? We both know that is not who you are."

"No one cares who I am. Least of all me."

He let out a derisive little chuckle. "Oh, darling, let's be honest with each other. This isn't about me or you. This is fear. You're afraid to belong. You're afraid that when the rest of the Avengers return, you'll be cast aside and alone once again."

I slapped him. Hard.

He licked the edge of his lips, his crystalline eyes glittering in the pale new dawn light.

Then he caught both my arms and shoved me to the wall behind us.

He glared at me. I glared at him. Our breath mingled in the cold morning air.

He lowered his hands to the hem of my dress and gathered the soft cotton up over my legs. One cool, pale hand made contact with my inner thigh. Goosebumps flared up my pelvis. My breathing turned ragged. My brain turned to mush the moment he touched me, my thoughts foggy and insubstantial. What the hell was he doing? What the hell we were both doing?

He squeezed, not enough to hurt, merely testing my reaction. I exhaled in a quick hiss, trembling in his grasp, my hands curled to fists where they rested against his chest, half-heartedly pushing at it. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth. I couldn't say anything for some reason.

Loki tilted his head to one side and kissed me.

It wasn't like the first time or the second time he'd stolen kisses from me. He sought after me, his lips gently tugging me forward into him, coaxing me to participate. Long-denied pleasure flooded my veins in a quick, hot rush. The goosebumps redoubled their efforts all over my body. Tiny hairs stood up on my arms as if he'd run an electric current through me. It took me a moment to realize it had been more than just his touch that awoke something in me. Loki was a god. A magical entity. So was I. Our magic melded together beneath our skin and created a steady pulse between us.

He licked my bottom lip and my mouth parted for him of its own volition. I tasted the remnants of minty toothpaste as well as the flavor of him beneath it--something I couldn't quite describe, but knew that I liked regardless. His hands slid up to my waist and he pulled me into him, his thigh wedging between my legs, adding pressure. I moaned helplessly and pushed my hips down onto it, seeking more, an entirely unconscious gesture. At some point, my fingers uncurled from fists and clung to his powerful shoulders to keep me from sliding to the ground in a senseless heap.

The kissing deepened. Both of us were panting into each other's mouths in between kisses. Emboldened by my acceptance of his touch, he swept me up in his arms and wrapped my legs around his narrow hips. I cried out in need as I felt his arousal between my thighs, grinding against the dampness beneath my sundress, clamping down over the outline of his hard cock beneath his pants. Shit. I'd needed this so badly. Craved it. I'd been denying myself pleasure for so long that the reminder of how it felt nearly overwhelmed me. I knew in that very second that he wouldn't hesitate; that he'd take me here, now, if I wanted it, in spite of all the millions of reasons it was a bad idea and could land us both in a world of trouble.

"Loki," I gasped out as he slid his mouth to my neck, sucking at the delicate skin. He slid one strap of the dress down and traced the outline of my collarbone and shoulder with his hot tongue. He rolled his hips into mine again, drawing a mewl from me as the pleasure crashed over me again. "Loki, please."

"Please what?" he growled into my damp skin as he lifted me slightly so that my breasts were within range. He kissed the spot over my heart and I nearly dissolved into a puddle.

"W-We shouldn't do this," I stammered out finally, shuddering as he traced his tongue over my cleavage. My libido screamed at me to shut up and simply enjoy whatever the hell was going on right now. I attempted to beat it into submission and continued the thought. "It's not a good idea."

Loki lifted his head and peered down at me, his expression somewhere between skeptical and contemplative. "No, we shouldn't. And yet..."

He shifted me in his grip slightly until his palm made contact with my panties, rubbing against me through the utterly wet cotton there and sending a tidal wave of ecstasy rushing through every nerve. I cried out again, unable to stop myself.

Loki let out a little hungry growl at my reaction. "Darling, you are _aching_ for release. I can smell it. Taste it. Why deny yourself of what you crave so desperately?"

"I crave chocolate all the time, but that doesn't mean I should keep eating it and gain five hundred pounds," I managed to say once I regained the ability to talk.

He narrowed his eyes a bit. "What are you saying?"

I licked my lips, suppressing another shudder as I felt how his kisses had made them a little swollen and sensitive. "If we did this, it wouldn't be once. It wouldn't be a fling. I'd be tempted to stay on with the Avengers and we'd go back to the compound and keep meeting in secret. It would disrupt the team dynamic and I'd be fired if Tony found out about it. It stands to reason, then, that we shouldn't do this. It wouldn't work out. You know it wouldn't."

"And why are you so convinced that this isn't a so-called fling? That I can't satisfy you here and now and not darken your doorstep again?"

I smiled sadly. "I don't know much, but I know myself. I can already tell you'd be mind-blowing in bed and I wouldn't have the will power not to ask for more once we got back. Better not open that can of worms. Or snakes, if you prefer."

Loki sighed. "Sound logic. However, you cannot continue on this way. Isolating yourself. Denying yourself the pleasures of the flesh. It's an entirely natural impulse. May I suggest you at least allow me to grant you some relief until you rectify the matter on your own?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "What's that supposed to mean?"

His eyes glittered then. "I agree that having sex would complicate things too much, but you are bursting at the seams and it'll drive me mad to continue being around you in such a state. The temporary solution, if you consent, would be for me to fulfill your needs for now and make arrangements for future endeavors that wouldn't disrupt the team or alert Stark to our interest in each other."

I bit my lower lip. "I'm listening."

He licked his lips, his eyes wandering down over my flushed skin. "I desire your cunt most desperately. I want to taste you. Thoroughly. Afterward, I propose that rather than sating each other in the physical realm, I could appear to you in your dreams and satisfy you there since it would be impossible for Stark and the rest of the team to find out about our affairs."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Wait...you want to eat me out right now and then fuck me in my dreams for the foreseeable future?"

He nodded. "Is it not a reasonable solution to our current situation?"

I opened my mouth to deny him, then thought about it. Actually, it was a rather creative solution. For one, I wouldn't be starving for sex any longer, and Loki would be far more cooperative if he was getting laid on a regular basis. And no one would be the wiser. We couldn't get caught because no one else could see what we were getting up to in our heads.

"You may have a point," I conceded finally, blushing in spite of myself.

"Then we agree. You don't quit the team and I'll provide you pleasure. You may elect to terminate our agreement whenever you wish. You have my word I won't try to retaliate if you do. I will only act with your express consent at all times. Do I have your permission, darling?"

My heart pounded in my ears. I swallowed hard before answering. "Yes."

Loki gave me a slow, hungry, evil smirk dripping with decadent promises. "Marvelous."

Then he hefted me up from against the wall and carried me towards the bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki get down and dirty.

Let me tell you: there are few things as terrifying yet exhilarating as a Norse god carrying you into his bedroom like some kind of maiden from the spoils of war.

By the time my back hit the Tempurpedic mattress, I was panting so hard Loki chuckled a bit. "You're going to hyperventilate at the rate you're going, darling."

"S-Sorry," I mumbled. "Just...jitters."

He lifted an eyebrow. Dammit. Me and my slang terms. "Bad nerves."

Loki grinned. "I'll be the judge of that."

He kissed me, brushing his tongue over mine to entice it to come out to play. I responded in kind and reached for the straps to the sundress. Loki caught my wrists and pressed them into the bed, breaking from the kiss.

"Ah, ah," he scolded. "You are my present to unwrap."

I rolled my eyes. "You're going to be infuriating, aren't you?"

"Have I not been already?"

"Point taken."

"Besides," he drawled, dragging his fingertips down my forearms enough to make me shiver. "I find that building anticipation only enhances the pleasure."

He slipped the thin straps off my shoulders and then bunched the cloth down until it revealed the strapless bra beneath it. I nearly asked him if he needed help with the clasp, but he reached underneath me and unsnapped it with hardly a problem. Maybe Loki had been a busy boy in the past.

He flicked the bra to the ground and sighed in quiet appreciation at my breasts, licking his lips. "My, my, I've missed these curves. You've no idea the restraint it took not to act when I had you naked beneath me the first time."

I blushed. "Poor you."

"Fuss if you like, but I know you wanted to do the same." He traced the long curved lines of my sides with his hands before cupping a breast in each large, pale hand. I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from screaming at the sensual gesture. My nipples hardened to buds beneath his palms and I arched into him restlessly, wordlessly asking for more. He flicked his thumbs over my nipples, those dilated pupils intently fixed on my chest, watching intently as my breath came in shaky gulps. He squeezed, gently, and then settled into a slow caress. His lips returned to continue stealing my every breath as he massaged my breasts in steady circles until he'd satisfied himself. He lowered his mouth and captured the right one, biting softly around the areola, sweeping his tongue around and around until I felt dizzy. He switched to the left and did the same before tweaking them both enough to make me whimper and then made a path down my stomach to my navel.

I tried not to cry out as he bit the plush skin below and to the side of my bellybutton. He swept his tongue down to the hem of where the dress had crumpled at my waist and dragged the cloth off my legs until only the underwear hid the rest of me. He peeled them off and pushed my knees apart for the final reveal. I chickened out and shut my eyes before I could see his reaction.

"What a lovely present indeed," Loki purred, humor and hunger intertwined in his tone.

"Shut up," I growled, thoroughly embarrassed.

"Open your eyes."

I squirmed. "Why?"

"I want you to watch me."

"You would."

He gripped my thighs and jerked me down towards him in one smooth, powerful gesture. My eyes popped open on their own by complete accident. I couldn't help but take in the tantalizing sight of the God of Mischief hunching that long, lean frame over me with my legs on either side of him. I was helpless and open and ready to be conquered. A mouse in the snake's coils.

"Watch me," he commanded, his dark lashes lowered over his hellfire eyes. "I want you to remember this moment every night when you climb into bed. I want you to never forget who gave you this pleasure."

He kissed the inside of my knee as he ran his hand down the outside of my leg, drifting down towards my embarrassingly wet opening that all but tingled with impatience. I fought down another needy cry and gripped twin handfuls of the bed spread instead as he crept closer and closer to my aching center. Every kiss sent a tidal wave of goosebumps across my legs and up my belly. My stomach muscles twitched in anticipation.

Without warning, the God of Mischief buried his tongue inside me.

All the way.

"Fuck!" My body arched off the bed in a sudden, straining bow as white-hot pleasure exploded from the juncture between my legs and sizzled through me like butter on a skillet. My thighs tried to clamp shut, but Loki caught them before I could and held them apart. The edge of his lips curled to one side in possibly the most smug grin I'd ever witnessed, and I blushed so hard I could have signaled a plane to land. He withdrew his tongue with maddening slowness and slanted his mouth over my slit until he'd created a seal with it. He sucked once, twice, gently, testing my reaction.

"Fucking hell, Loki," I squeezed out from the tiny bit of air left in my lungs as the pleasure swarmed my senses again in an overwhelming whirlpool. His tongue licked my folds apart and journeyed inside again, nudging and pressing and exploring thoroughly. The obscene wet noises his mouth made on my cunt only tightened my inner walls around his tongue and made my thighs clench. He was unraveling me one minute at a time.

He slid his mouth up towards my clit and I couldn't help it; my head rolled back on the bed and I shrieked in praise. As soon as I did, his mouth slid away. He pinched my inner thigh, his voice low and dangerous. "Eyes on me or I'll stop."

"Don't stop," I panted out. "Please."

I forced my eyes open and fought the lethargic fog draped over my senses enough to return my gaze to the god kneeling between my thighs. He licked my essence from his lips in a deliberate show of masculinity and then lowered one hand to his silk pants. He slipped the hem down enough to reveal himself and I almost passed out cold on the bed. Loki had a gorgeous cock; long and straight and elegant somehow. My mouth watered at the sight. I shivered as I thought about the fact that it was like that because of me.

For a brief, desperate second, I pictured him crawling up over my helpless form and thrusting into me hard, using that beautiful cock to force me over the edge into my orgasm where I already had been teetering as of the last few moments. Grabbing a handful of my hair and yanking my head back to kiss me as he rammed it into me like a madman, taking his pleasure from me again and again. Fucking me so hard the bed cracked the wall. Moaning my name into my mouth as he came deep inside me.

Just as my brain finished treating me to those images, Loki smirked knowingly down at me as his long fingers encircled his cock and began to stroke it languidly. "Why, darling, you'll have me blushing soon."

I blinked at him in confusion. He squeezed my thigh. "I have telepathic abilities if I touch someone. You're not as innocent as you seem, are you?"

I covered my face with both hands and wished for death. Loki laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I quite enjoyed that."

I shook my head. "You could have warned me."

"Where's the fun in that?" The bed shifted slightly and then Loki tugged my hands away from my face. "A little mischief is good for a lady."

He closed his hand around my wrist. "Speaking of which..."

He tugged my hand down enough to wrap around his cock. I shuddered as his hardness brushed my fingertips, contrasting with how silken his skin felt. It had been a depressingly long time for me, but I still apparently remembered what to do; my hand settled into steady pumps that drew low groans of delight from the Norse god above me.

"Mm," he hummed as he hovered above me. "Now there's the ticket."

He kissed me, all lips and tongue, as he flattened his palm against my belly and slid it down. He hooked two fingers inside me, eating the moan right out of my mouth, and sunk into a rhythm that made my toes curl. Light sweat drenched my naked skin within a minute or so of his touch, stimulating just the right spots, adding pressure over and over, scraping my erogenous zone while I stroked his cock in tandem.

"L-Loki," I whimpered as my inner thighs contracted sharply in warning. "I'm gonna come."

"Yes, you are," he whispered as he sucked my ear lobe into his hot mouth.

"Please, I don't want to come yet."

"Yes, you do," he told me. "I can feel it. I can feel this tight little quim begging for its release. You're so wet, darling. My fingers are drenched. I want you to come for me."

"I don't want you to stop."

He growled slightly and bit my neck. "Neither do I, but all good things must come to an end. And it won't be the last time. This I promise. You'll have me as many times as you wish to slake that thirst inside you. I'll have you howling my name loud enough for the whole Nine Realms to hear it."

He hissed as I squeezed his cock and sped up my hand, excited by his declaration. The scalding column of flesh throbbed against my palm. For all his talk, he didn't have much longer either. The thought of making him come suddenly possessed me. I brushed my thumb underneath the head of his cock and he shuddered, revealing a weak spot.

"You wicked little thing," he groaned, thrusting against my hand in sync. "You should know better than to tease a god."

I had just enough coherence enough to reply. "I thought you said a little mischief is good for a lady."

Loki chuckled. "So I did."

Just then, he delved a third finger inside me and ran the flat of his thumb over my clit.

I came apart in his hands like fractured glass.

The world drained out of my eyes and ears. Ecstasy replaced everything inside me. I shed my mortal coil and floated off into the heavens on golden wings. I'd never come that hard in my entire life.

Once my soul returned to my body, I found Loki staring down at me with his usual pompous pride, but the expression was also tinged with a bit of concern and even something in the same vein as affection.

"Welcome back," he teased, brushing a light kiss over my lips.

"This arrangement's going to kill me, isn't it?"

Once more, Loki laughed. "I assure you I'll try my hardest to prevent such a fate."

"Sure you will," I said, rolling my eyes.

"I'd never dream of letting you go. Who else would I have to toy with?"

"Toy with, huh?" My hand returned to its post on his still-hard, slightly leaking cock. He exhaled quickly in surprise and sent me a slightly suspicious look.

"And just what are you doing, pray tell?"

"Turnabout is fair play, your highness."

His eyelids fluttered a bit as I brought my other hand up enough to cup his balls. He licked his lips, his breathing elevated and excited. "It's not wise to provoke a predator."

I gave him my most challenging smirk. "I think I can handle it."

"Mm, you certainly can," he murmured as he leaned down towards my throat. I squirmed and choked down a moan as he sucked the delicate flesh between his lips.

"Don't. It'll show."

He relented somewhat, but I could hear the dark possession in his tone. "I can heal them before we leave."

A sigh escaped him as he sank towards my collarbone. "Although I confess I adore the idea of returning you to the Avengers with my marks on your lovely skin."

"Territorial ass," I grumbled, squeezing him hard just for the hell of it. He shuddered again.

"God of Mischief," he reminded me.

"God of Assholes."

He flashed me an evil little grin. "And yet you came for me so sweetly anyway."

I could have come up with another scathing remark, but I got a better idea. I let a little magic flow out of me enough to turn both hands several degrees cooler.

Loki shut his eyes, grabbed at the mattress underneath me, and moaned uncontrollably.

Oh, yes.

That was officially my new favorite sound.

"Well, now," I taunted, lifting an eyebrow. "That's an interesting reaction."

Loki struggled to speak through ragged gasps. "Frost Giant, remember?"

"Good to know." I made circling motions with the hand still holding his cock, using the palm of my other hand to balance his balls. The mattress creaked as Loki held on tighter while he reached the edge. With the golden light of sunrise at his back, he looked every bit the handsome mythical prince. There was something strikingly beautiful about the curve of his jaw and the dark furrow of his brow. As mercurial and difficult as he could be, I felt a little blessed to witness this side of him.

"Loki," I whispered, not hiding the eager tremble in my own voice. "Come for me."

He seized a handful of my hair, jerked my head back, and kissed me hard as he came.

With our mouths mashed together, tongues entwined, his moan came out like the low, humming buzz of a contented big cat of some sort. He sunk down on top of me and the only thing that kept him from completely crushing me to the bed was his other forearm. His hips snapped hard to thrust his cock between my fingers as he painted my belly with come again and again, splashing hot and thick over my trembling body.

Images flashed through my mind in those tantalizing seconds of Loki's release. This time, they weren't mine, but his. He envisioned me on this same bed, my legs up on his shoulders while he rutted into me like a wild animal, one hand closed around my throat, me screaming his name as I climbed towards paradise. Then again, on all fours, his hand fisting my hair, fucking me deep and rough from behind. Again, riding the harsh rise and fall of his hips, his cock buried at my center as he swiftly took me with his hands on my breasts, holding me in place above him. There were so many things he wanted to do to me right now. There were so many things I wanted him to do to me right now.

Gradually, Loki stilled. We both lay there trying in vain to breathe normally. Entire minutes passed before either of us achieved said goal.

"This arrangement's going to kill me, isn't it?" Loki echoed.

I laughed hoarsely and tilted my head up enough to kiss him again. "I assure you I'll try my hardest to prevent such a fate."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Want to know what truly makes your Loki thirst uncontrollable?
> 
> Hugging Tom Hiddleston.
> 
>  
> 
> Yes, that's me. Yes, that's real. I met him at Ace Comic Con in Chicago, IL this weekend. 
> 
> And yes, he is every bit as fucking lovely as he fucking seems. Here's how it went, basically, for the photo op:
> 
> Me: Hi! Is a hug okay?  
> Him: Sure!  
> **photo is taken**  
> Him: That's a beautiful dress, by the way!  
> Me: *INTERNALLY SCREAMING BECAUSE I BOUGHT THE DRESS SPECIFICALLY TO WEAR FOR HIM* Thank you so much! You're phenomenal! *scurries away*
> 
> So yeah. That happened and you can pretty much guess that I'm permanently stuck with Loki/Hiddles thirst. He's a good, gentle hugger and a thoughtful man. I am so blessed to have met him. Feel free to yell and scream at me as much as you need to, because that's what all my friends did to me when I posted the photo op, lol.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki return to the Avengers compound to face the music.

"So," Tony said. "Cat's outta the bag. It's all out in the open now. We're going to establish some new house rules as a result."

He narrowed his eyes at Loki, who sat beside me in his usual posture; one arm over the back of his chair, one leg crossed, his eyes half-lidded, open contempt for Tony on his features. "If you _ever_ lay a hand on this young woman again for any reason other than to literally save her life, I'll kill you. Dead. I don't care what the hell your brother will do to me when he gets back. You go in the ground, Revenge of the Sith. Do you understand me?"

Loki gave him a patronizing smile. "How quaint that you think you can kill me at all, little man."

Tony matched said smile. "You've been gone a long time, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Asshole. I've got loads of new tech I am itching to use on your sorry, pale ass."

"Give it your best shot, Stark," Loki sneered. "I've been looking for an excuse to settle our account."

"Boys," I interjected with mild annoyance. "Can we stop hosing down the room with testosterone?"

They both glanced at me with equal discomfort at my phrasing, but the tension in the room slackened somewhat. I continued. "Tony, I can take care of myself. Loki got away with it one time and one time only. We have an understanding now that if he tries it again, they'll never find his body."

Loki snorted softly. "Mortals. I don't know how you've lasted this long with your propensity for believing the impossible."

"Bite me."

He aimed an impressively sexual look in my direction. "Not in front of Stark, darling."

"Hey," Tony snapped. "None of that either."

Loki gave him a toothy grin. "She's a grown woman, Stark. Perhaps she'd like that sort of thing."

Beneath the table, I stepped on his foot. He didn't overtly react, but I noticed a subtle twitch. He'd gotten the message to lay off on the antagonism before we got ourselves in further trouble.

"You're on thin ice already," Tony seethed. "Don't think I can't get in touch with your brother. Heimdall made no bones about the fact that he can get a message through. We'll see how smug you are when the Hulk bounces you off the pavement a few dozen times."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Do you have a point to make or not, little man? I have other things to do."

"Yeah, yeah," Tony said with a roll of his eyes as well. "I'm sure you're needed back on your post with the other gargoyles. The point is, Frosty is in charge of your rehabilitation. You don't go off-script. You don't leave this compound without her until such a time as we're thoroughly convinced that you're not still a lying, murdering asshole with a literal god complex. If you don't like it, tough. This is Midgard, not Asgard. Our world, our rules. The name of the game is keep her happy and you get to keep this comfy roof over your head instead of the parallel dimension Doctor Strange has been keeping warm just for you."

Loki glared at him then. "I don't respond well to threats, Stark."

"Join the club. If Frosty clears you, then you'll get your independence back and you're free to go off planet and do whatever it is that you think you do best. Until then, stay on the straight and narrow. Got me?"

Loki stood and brushed off the front of his suit, his smile venomous. "Not yet, but I'm sure I will eventually."

He left, slamming the door shut behind him. Tony heaved a sigh. "Should've just let Strange lock him up. Annoying bastard."

I shook my head. "To be fair, part of this is your fault."

"What the hell did I do?" he demanded.

"You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. You know full well that if you play to his ego, he'll cooperate, but you don't want to do that because of your own ego."

Tony made a face. "Ugh, no. I'll take the vitriol instead. Nothing worse than letting that bastard think he's won."

He leaned against the edge of the table, and a bit of genuine exhaustion leaked onto his face. "Look, kid, I can't tell you how sorry I am again."

I held up my hand. "Tony, stop. I didn't have to agree. I could've said no and went back to where I was before. I'm an adult. I can handle him."

"I know," he said, rubbing his goatee ruefully. "I guess I banked on that too hard to see that I gave it away when I called you in so soon after Alaska. I'm betting that's what tipped him off that you were reporting to me. Sorry about your vacation."

I shrugged. "Wasn't much of a vacation with Tall, Dark, and Broody there anyway. I'm sure you'll find a way to make it up to me, like, say, giving me a bonus."

Tony snorted. "Been there, done that. Your next paycheck should qualify you to be part of the one-percent."

I laughed. "Thanks, boss."

"Really, though, kid," he said softly. "I mean it. Never meant to put you in harm's way. You're a good person and you're a hell of a team player. Keep it up, huh?"

As stupid as it was, tears burned at the back of my eyes for just a split second. "Thanks, Tony. I'll try my best."

Tony nodded towards the door. "Come on, I'll buy ya lunch. Ever had shawarma before?"

* * *

Sam and I turned our heads simultaneously as the door to one of the refrigerators opened. Loki contemplated something for a moment and then removed the orange juice on the top shelf and started to lope away.

"Hey!" Sam barked. "That's my OJ."

Loki spared him a coldly bored look. "And you're, what? Shocked and disappointed? I'm evil."

I sprayed my soda all over the coffee table.

Sam patted me on the back during my coughing fit. "What's the matter with you?"

"You watched _Buffy: The Vampire Slayer_?" I screeched at Loki in disbelief.

Loki smirked. "Well, I have to fill the hours somehow, don't I?"

With that, he turned the corner and disappeared. I wiped my chin with a napkin and then grabbed some paper towels.

"Just when you think you have the guy figured out," Sam said, shaking his head. "Still don't know how the hell you put up with him as his unofficial probation officer."

I snorted as I started cleaning up the mess. "You just get immune to his bullshit after a certain point. I'm sure that's the only reason Thor hasn't killed him by now."

"I bet,"Sam said, offering the trash can. "Still, though, it's not exactly fun sleeping under the same roof as a mass murderer, reformed or otherwise. Everyone here can take care of themselves, but I think they still keep a wary eye out. 'Cept maybe you."

I lifted an eyebrow as I returned to my seat on the couch. "Trust me, I'm still wary."

"You went on vacation with the dude and came back in one piece. Don't know that any of us could have done the same."

I shrugged. "I'm a cold-hearted bitch."

Sam chuckled into his beer. "Better be careful, then. I think he kind of likes you. Only time I've ever seen him smile has been around you."

I frowned. "Bullshit."

"Oh, I'm not talking about that Grinch-evil-grin shit he does all the time," Sam clarified. "I meant a smile. Like a real one. That's all you, Frosty."

Uh-oh. This was the problem of hanging out with superheroes and former soldiers--they were extremely perceptive. I waved my hand to dismiss the comment. "I'm the low hanging fruit. Trust me, he's not interested in some measly temp like me."

"Mm-hmm," Sam said, his brown eyes twinkling. I kicked his knee lightly and he chuckled again before turning on the television.

Loki and I didn't see each other the rest of the day, so I was a bit antsy once it was time for bed. I had no idea how this was going to go. Did I need to do anything specific or simply fall asleep? Well, he would have told me something if it had been the former, so I curled up beneath my comforter and tried to relax. Didn't happen. I caught myself pondering if it was ironic that I needed to sleep in order to get what I wanted, but what I wanted was keeping me from falling asleep.

Which was why it happened suddenly.

I stood in a room I'd never seen before, with cavernous walls and absurdly high ceilings. There was stained glass forming a dome in the center of the ceiling with gold and green and yellow and blue glass. The far left wall had windows with a view of a beautiful, lush garden. An oversized bed on a four-poster frame was against the adjacent wall, and upon it sat the beloved prince of Asgard.

"Took you long enough," Loki said with a languish sigh of mock-irritation. He sipped something out of a chalice. He wore his traditional Asgardian garb this time rather than one of our Midgardian suits. The black leather and armor worked for him, though I'd never tell him that out loud.

"Why are you all dressed up when you know the whole point of this interaction is to get naked?" I asked as I strolled towards him. I wasn't sure if it was his subconscious or mine, but either way, I was wearing what I normally wore in my quarters: boy shorts and a tank top.

"I told you," he said, offering the chalice to me. "Anticipation heightens pleasure. Besides, it wouldn't kill you to work for it."

I took a sip. The red wine inside it was robust and flavorful without being too sweet. Nothing I'd ever tasted on earth. It even had a slight carbonation to it. I gestured to his chambers. "Why here?"

"Did you really think we'd be in one of our little rooms at the compound? You musn't be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling."

I snorted. " _Inception_ too, huh? A Norse god with a Netflix account. You can't make this shit up."

He grinned. "I believe there is a saying that life is stranger than fiction, yes?"

"Right again." I tried not to sound nervous as I cleared my throat. "So should we get on with it?"

Loki stood in one smooth, feline motion that made me flinch just a bit, perhaps out of some sort of ill-timed, latent self-preservation. By now, I had accepted the fact that he was of course dangerous and often foul-tempered as well as actually being a halfway decent man in spite of it. At his core, Loki was selfish. Nearly everything he did was in service to himself, and he would likely never change, and if he did, I'd be dead long before I ever saw such change. If I was being honest with myself, it might've been why I'd found myself attracted to him. Even though he was the God of Lies, he never lied about what he wanted from me and wanted for himself. The attraction was completely transparent. We were both isolated by our own choosing, wandering and lost, unconsciously seeking something that didn't really have a definition.

He cocked his head slightly. "Are you afraid?"

I licked my lips and just nodded. No sense in lying to the God of Lies.

"Good." He cupped my cheek and tilted my head back so I'd have to look into his eyes. I truly couldn't decide which color ruled them most: the blue or the circle of vibrant green around his pupils. It always looked as if the two hues fought each other based on whatever mood the god was in.

"Why is that a good thing?" I asked, my lips already tingling with anticipation of a kiss.

"It means you're still sane. At least one of us should be if we're going to go through with this."

"If?"

He ran his thumb over my lower lip. "This is your last chance to turn back. I cannot promise engaging me won't change you in some way. Stain you, perhaps."

"Someone's overconfident."

Loki shook his head. "Merely experienced. Gods are entirely capable of engaging in the sins of the flesh without being affected. Mortals, on the other hand, are another story."

I frowned. "You think I'm going to fall in love with you?"

"Not exactly. You have enough sense to know better. However, you might find mortal relationships unfulfilling after our arrangement. Will you be alright with that?"

I wanted to protest and tell him he was being presumptuous, but that was just my pride. After all, he had over a thousand years of knowledge on his side. I shoved my ego aside and thought it over before answering. "I don't think a happy ending was ever in the cards for me, even if I stay with the Avengers. I don't think I'm meant for a conventional relationship with a nice guy. I can't date normal men, not without putting them in danger. And I'm pretty sure none of the other teammates would take a serious look at me as a potential partner anyhow."

Loki raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You say that, but to be honest, my brother would probably like you."

"Wait, really? Then why the hell am I still hanging around you?"

He rolled his eyes and I giggled. "Answer the question. Are you willing to accept the consequences of our arrangement?"

"Yes."

"Are you certain?" he whispered. "Because once you agree, you will be mine completely."

"Will you be mine as well?" I asked.

Loki blinked once, surprised maybe, but nodded all the same. "Then yes, I'm certain."

"Very well, my little mortal."

Then he took my hand and led me towards his bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not gonna lie--I love Iron Dad, and I couldn't resist adding just a touch of that into this chapter since it's honestly one of the best aspects of Tony Stark's personality. I wish we'd get ten more films of Tony mentoring Peter Parker and other younger heroes since he's outstanding at it, at least in my opinion. 
> 
> And not to worry! I won't leave you hanging long on the details of the arrangement. Stay tuned for some good ole smutty-smut. 
> 
> P.S. The thought of Loki watching Buffy amuses me to no fucking end. I think he would immediately identify with Spike, no bones about it.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki give their arrangement a test run.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably the filthiest thing I've ever written and I am so sorry. 
> 
> Mostly.

"How many lovers have you had before, darling?"

It was rather difficult to answer the question while I was lying on Loki's bed with him standing just in front of it, his warm hands on my ankles, thumbs circling the delicate bones. The view was simply breathtaking.

"Four."

He nodded. "And their behavior? Do you prefer them dominant, submissive, or in-between?"

Boy, was he straightforward. A healthy blush crept up my neck and filtered into my cheeks. I didn't want to appear meek before him, but it was sort of a reflex. I cleared my throat before answering. "I, um, I've had it both ways. Not enough experience to say if I have a preference yet."

"Mm." He slid his hands over my calves to the back of my knees and then tickled the spot behind them. My eyes nearly crossed. It felt insanely good. Heavenly, in fact. "Very well. I have a wealth of experience in such matters, as I assume you've noticed. I prefer dominance, but I can be persuaded otherwise in the right circumstances. I ask simply because I need to understand your limitations. I've ascertained from your reactions that, to a certain degree, you enjoy being bullied into pleasure."

I squirmed with discomfort. "I wouldn't exactly have phrased it that way."

His lips curled up at one end. "I'm not trying to shame you, darling. It's simply my observation. You seem to like the lack of control in matters of attraction. You fear me, to some degree, and the fear makes you feel excited, and the excitement arouses you. You don't want me to hurt you, but you do want me to make you submit. You have a strong personality. Men have trouble keeping up with you. I don't. I'm direct. That being said, I can also tell there are things you'd like to do to me once you feel comfortable enough, and I am more than willing to comply, within reason."

Christ. He was ten times more perceptive than I'd given him credit for. I couldn't believe he'd divined all of that from only one sexual encounter with me. "Okay. So what now?"

"I'm merely establishing the rules," Loki continued as he passed his hands down my outer thighs. My breathing kicked up significantly. "I may press you. Push you to your limits. You may protest and I may not listen entirely if I think you're being dishonest with yourself. However, if you tell me to stop, and mean it, I will without hesitation."

"Why do you think I'd protest?"

"You strike me as the type of woman who protests simply due to societal standards and etiquette. Mortal women are often taught they shouldn't seek out physical pleasure. That they are to remain patient and good and wait for their prince to rescue them. That only men are allowed to have frivolous appetites for sex. I have no such compunctions. I think you should want sexual gratification for no other reason than to have it. Your body has nerves and pleasure centers for a reason, and it's not to waste away waiting for some foolish man to finally discover your worth. You are worthy of pleasure regardless."

I nibbled the edge of my lip for a second before replying. "How will you know if I mean it?"

"You're rather genuine when you like something I've done to you. I can tell the difference." He paused. "You also have an iron will. You'll certainly fight back if I were to do anything untoward. But I assure you it'll never come to that point."

I fought down a moan as his hands swept over to my inner thighs and stroked the soft skin from the crease in my hip up to my knees. "I also think you enjoy my voice far more than you like to let on. Is that correct?"

I wanted him to be wrong, but he wasn't, so I just nodded. "Good. Then I will tease you or praise you as I see fit. Nothing abusive. I find it degrading with a woman of your quality."

My foggy brain tried to decide how I felt about that last part. Woman of quality. No one had ever said that to me before, and he sounded as if he meant it. Loki didn't do cheap flattery unless he had an angle to work, and he'd already convinced me to sleep with him. Maybe he actually meant it. Odd. "Okay. Anything else?"

His eyes gleamed. "I would like it very much if on occasion your powers came into play."

I blushed harder, but only because I agreed with him. Loki had pretty much kept his composure until that point during our last encounter and I looked forward to seeing if I could make him lose control again. It was amazingly sexy to see him off-balance, unrestrained, like that. "Deal."

"Excellent," the God of Mischief purred as he stood to his full height. "Then let's get started."

I reached for the hem of my shirt, but he tutted at me. "Ah, ah. Not yet. Eyes on me."

He undid the gloved gauntlets on either hand and drew them off slowly, then reached up and unsnapped a hidden clasp on the top half of his outfit. Oho. The Norse god had deigned me worthy of a strip show.

He tugged the heavy leather material off, revealing his bare chest, slightly shiny with sweat. The smirk on his lips grew wider as he noticed how much harder I was breathing. He pushed one hand through that thick black hair to get it out of his eyes and then dragged his gaze down my body one inch at a time.

"Darling?"

"Hmm?"

"Are you wet?"

I nodded. He licked his lips as he stared at my legs. "Then do me a favor and slide one hand inside your shorts."

My cheeks felt hot enough to fry an egg. No former lover had ever asked me to do that before. I wasn't very good at being sexy, and I was even worse at pleasuring myself. I could get the job done, but I mostly lucked into anything that actually felt good. "I-I'm not really great at that sort of thing."

"It's easier than you think," Loki assured me. "Just relax. Close your eyes."

I tried not to frown and did as he told me, slipping my hand beneath the cotton boy shorts. "Now think about what you'd like me to do to you right now. How it would feel. Where I would touch you. Can you picture it clearly?"

The initial embarrassment slid away as he spoke in that steady tone, and I concentrated on what he'd told me. My fingers trembled, but settled over a spot that felt nice. "Yes."

"Good," he whispered in a low, velvety tone. "Focus. Show me how you like to be touched."

It was still a bit awkward, but I fumbled until something did in fact feel good, so I kept at it. I added pressure over my clit with my palm and sighed wistfully as pleasure unfurled within my lower belly and gradually spread outward into my limbs. I heard movement and then a 'plop' of hard soles against the floor, like maybe he'd taken the boots off. Then the rasp of more leather and buckles. He was still undressing. I wanted desperately to look, but he hadn't told me to just yet.

"Tell me how that feels, darling."

"Good," I whispered back, my voice a little hoarse and thready.

"Mm, you look so lovely lying there, teasing yourself. Are you ready to come?"

I nodded frantically. The bed pitched under his weight. I felt him crawl above me and then whimpered as his hand joined mine beneath the shorts, between my legs, his cool fingers guiding my movements.

"Spread your legs," he commanded.

I obeyed. "Open your eyes."

I obeyed again. His flushed face was inches away, his sea-green eyes intense and dilated, a dark and terrible hunger on his handsome features as he watched me. Together, we pushed the pleasure inside me to its ultimate height. He hovered so close, his warm breath splashing over my cheeks, my chin, displaying an unfathomable level of restraint.

Then, at just the right second, he kissed me.

I fisted one hand on the sheets and sailed off the edge into my orgasm.

Loki swallowed my cries one by one, still coaxing my fingers into slower, softer strokes over my inner walls until I finally shuddered and slumped onto the bed in a boneless heap. He withdrew his hand from between my legs and broke the kiss just enough to lick his fingers clean while I watched. He kissed my cheek, my jaw, sliding his lips towards my neck.

"Did you enjoy that, darling?"

"Y-Yeah."

He nipped over my pulse. "Has anyone ever told you how sexy you look when you come?"

"N-No."

"You are. I love the way you just melt into it when you're coming. You let go of everything."

He lifted my hand and sucked my fingers clean one at a time. Then he lifted my arms enough to tug the tank top off. He flicked one finger and the bra split in half like it had been made of tissue paper, which alarmed me until I remembered we were in a dream and he hadn't just shredded a twenty-dollar bra. My breasts spilled out, gathering his attention immediately, and he dove for them with enthusiasm. He held my wrists together up over my head as he devoured my right breast, losing it in the wet cavern of his mouth over and over again, his teeth grazing the nipple enough to drive small gasps from my throat. He brought his free hand up and gently ran his fingertips over my sternum while he did it, and contrast of the soft touch and the rough heat of his mouth made me restless. I wanted more and I wanted it _now_.

I lifted my hips enough to press against Loki's pelvis, still hidden underneath the armored leather pants, and he growled. The thick material couldn't manage to hide the raging erection beneath it, and he collapsed his lower body on top of me all at once. I hissed and couldn't help rubbing against the blunt tent in his pants, panting madly as the pleasure awoke within me again.

Loki chuckled darkly around my left breast, his eyes glinting with humor and filthy promises. "Such a greedy little thing, aren't we?"

"I haven't had sex in forever," I told him, narrowing my eyes slightly. "And I haven't had good sex for even longer than that."

"Tsk, tsk," he chided. "What a tragedy. A body this beautiful not being satisfied should be a crime in itself."

I choked on a laugh. "No wonder they call you Silvertongue."

He sunk lower, kissing my stomach, my navel. "That's not the only reason, you know."

Loki removed the shorts and lifted my right thigh onto his shoulder. As much as I wanted him to do what he was about to do right now, I couldn't help but say something. "But I've already--"

"I know," he sighed, kissing the inside of my thighs. "Blame this damned wonderful cunt of yours. It's so sweet they should sell it as a flavor at an ice cream shop."

I covered my face with both hands. "I _cannot_ believe you just said that to me."

Loki laughed and tugged me further down the bedspread. "I regret nothing."

I had to bite the side of my pinky to keep from screaming as he flicked his tongue across my still-sensitive entrance. He balanced over me on his forearms, pushing forward to bend my leg back further so he had more room, and then did it a second time. His tongue flattened and then curled, gathering the nectar spilling out, before journeying downward inside me. My body twisted underneath him as the sweet, fluttering ecstasy flooded my senses again. I cursed him before grabbing a handful of his hair and jerking up into his hot mouth, dying for more. The bastard slid those big hands underneath my ass and squeezed hard enough to make me scream and thrash my legs on either side of him. He closed his fingers over my hips and pulled me down onto his mouth, adding that last bit of pressure that I'd needed just as he sucked hard over my spot.

My spine arched on the bed as I came again, spouting a litany of four-letter words about the Norse god poised between my thighs. Loki languished there a while, lapping up the evidence of his triumph as if it were a meal fit for a king, or a prince in his case. It took several minutes before I regained anything resembling coherence again.

Once I stirred, Loki licked those insidious lips clean and climbed up my body until we were face-to-face, and he didn't even try to hide the smugness in his expression. "My, my, what are we going to do about that naughty little mouth of yours, darling? Such words are hardly the vocabulary of a lady."

"Fuck you," I told him with halfhearted exhaustion mixed with sarcasm.

"Oh, I most certainly will," he said without missing a beat. "But I really think we ought to put it to good use."

"Well, I may not have as much as experience as you, but I can suck a mean dick."

Loki blinked at me and then laughed in surprise. Well, point for me. He hadn't been expecting it. Good to know I could still impress a Norse god. "Is that right?"

"Haven't heard any complaints yet."

"The only way to be truly sure is to test it out," he said. "Clearly."

"Clearly," I agreed.

He scooped me up and rolled us over on the bed. I settled comfortably atop his thighs as he undid the pants and loosened the monster beneath them once again. It was an entirely different matter when he'd been on top of me; I hadn't been at eye level with Loki's, ahem, serpent. I briefly contemplated the odds of dislocating my jaw attempting this and assured myself I'd be fine since this was a dream anyway.

And besides, I _really_ wanted to see him squirm.

So, naturally, I cooled my hands about a dozen degrees as I wrapped my fingers around his cock.

Loki's head rolled back on the bed and he groaned my name in a rush of elated exhaled breath.

I shut my eyes for a second. Yep. Music to my ears.

Rather than doing the same to my lips, I simply lowered them to the broad, round tip of his cock for one small kiss before I took it inside my mouth. I fisted the shaft with my cold fingers and let my lips follow their path down, down, down the silken skin, my tongue sweeping the veins and girth of the underside along the way. The Asgardian god bit his bottom lip to stifle another moan, but he wasn't fooling anyone. He'd probably never tell me the truth, but his reaction made me think it had been a while since he'd had sex too. We really were birds of a feather, to some degree.

I made it about halfway down his cock the first time and then withdrew, simply getting back into the groove, so to speak. I dragged my fingers up to circle the head and did the same with my tongue. This time, Loki growled out something in another language. There was no doubt it had been a curse word, and I had an inkling it had been Norwegian. I definitely hadn't lost my skills, then.

I flipped my hair over one shoulder and sank his cock into my mouth in a sure, steady rhythm, careful not to go too fast or I'd gag. Loki collapsed into rapid panting breaths, but stayed still so as not to upset the delicate balance, at least for a while. After I'd been going for a while, he reached down enough to slide his hand over my neck, his voice octaves lower and teetering on the edge of desperation.

"Darling," he said, his pupils dilated enough that they had nearly swallowed the color of his irises. "I believe we've thoroughly proven your prowess."

I let him slide free with an obscene little _'schlock'_ sound, resisting a grin as it made him shiver a little and lose focus for a second. Men were hilarious sometimes. They found the oddest things erotic. "This is a dream, right?"

He licked his lips, unsure of my point probably. "Yes."

"So there's no refractory period, right?"

He caught on after a moment. "I suppose not."

"So why are you stopping me?"

Loki cleared his throat. "Manners, perhaps."

"That's sweet of you," I said innocently, all the while my hands never stopped their ministrations. "But I'd really only be sure of my prowess if I got to finish."

He took a deep breath and nodded. "Wouldn't want you to be unsure of your skillset."

I batted my lashes at him. "Close your eyes, please."

Loki eyed me. "Why?"

"I want the finale to be a surprise."

He hesitated, but he shut his eyes all the same. I waved my fingers in front of his face just to be sure and he didn't flinch. Good.

I held my left hand out with my forefinger and thumb roughly half an inch apart.

An ice cube formed between my fingers.

I popped it into my mouth, rolled it around on my tongue until it was completely wet, and then lowered both it and my icy mouth onto Loki's cock.

Loki's entire body arched up off the bed.

And he roared. Not moaned. Not groaned. _Roared._

Fuck me, it was a beautiful sound.

I'd placed the little frozen cube at the base of his cock, cushioned between it and his balls, and had pretty much deep-throated him at the same time, so I wasn't surprised as he came inside my mouth almost instantaneously. Luckily, he was deep enough that the thick, hot cream poured straight down without cause me to gag or choke. I kept still until he finished and then pulled away as carefully as I could so I wouldn't overstimulate him. Ragged didn't even begin to describe how hard and fast he was breathing. It did my confidence a world of good, honestly, to know I could still bring a grown man to his knees with oral sex, let alone an actual celestial being.

Then, suddenly, he grabbed my arm and threw me flat to the bed.

He pinned my wrists on either side of my head and his voice buzzed up through my naked body like a livewire as he snarled, "I'm going to fuck you into _oblivion_."

Well.

Okay, then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *buys herself a first class ticket to hell*


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki finish out their first night together.

The God of Mischief, it turns out, is a man of his word.

There were no sappy, intimate looks passed between us after Loki's declaration. There was no preamble. There was no hesitation or significant moment of pause.

And there was no way in hell I could've prepared for what happened next.

In one alarmingly dexterous movement, Loki spread my legs with his thighs and delved every single inch of his cock inside me all at once.

And he stared straight into my eyes and down into my soul while he did it.

I screamed.

There was no other option.

His long, hard cock spread and stretched my inner walls to capacity. It somehow did and didn't hurt at the same time, maybe because of the dream, maybe because I'd been so goddamn turned on, maybe because of his magic and the chemistry between us. I couldn't help rolling my head back on the bed as my scream turned into an echoing howl that made my throat feel raw. The pleasure hit me like a punch in the gut, but more than that. Earlier, Loki had asked me if I'd been ready, if I knew something would change if we gave into temptation, and in the first few seconds of him being inside me, I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that he was right. There was no going back.

I was his.

And he was mine.

Loki squeezed my wrists and let out a long, slow exhale, his lean chest rumbling with that same low purring sound he'd made before. "Oh, yes, darling. I knew you had it in you to scream like that for me. And it won't be the last time."

His hips, those insidious things, arched and drew him out of me slow, so slow, so fucking slow my toes curled. I whimpered as he left me entirely and adjusted his heavy, solid frame above me. His soft lips came down on mine just as he returned to me with the same terrible, exquisite force.

And this time, he didn't stop.

With every brutish snap of his hips, a red-hot tendril of pleasure coiled tight around my lower body, winding through every limb, raising goosebumps on my bare skin. Delirious, consuming, inescapable bliss filled me and sent my mind spinning off into an abyss. I couldn't think straight. I could barely breathe. I could just feel. Feel him. Taste him. Smell him. Hear him.

My every worry, preoccupation, and concern melted away. My magic, my job, my life, all of it shattered into pieces around us. Loki's touch stripped me bare. I became nothing more than an animal with a need.

"You want to say it," he whispered, his scorching breath flaring across my cheek. "So say it."

"L-Loki, I--"

His hands clamped harder on my wrists and he kissed me again, eradicating the last precious bits of my pride. The words slipped out before I could stop them. And the truth was...I didn't want to stop them.

"Fuck me, Loki. Please fuck me."

Loki didn't answer. He just obliged me.

I'd never felt anything like it before. He fucked me without a single ounce of restraint. He kept me pinned, caged beneath him, every powerful thrust driving deep into my slippery core and striking the sweetest spot possible. With other men, some part of me always clung to my control, not wanting my lover to consume me body and soul, not wanting my lover to know how much I needed him. Loki seemed to understand that, so he didn't try to pace himself or draw things out. He simply took me as rough and quick as I allowed it.

My legs wrapped around him on their own. I clung to him with all my might as the cresting tidal wave of pleasure reared up over my head, overshadowing me. I couldn't even tell if I was screaming actual words or just savage, animalistic noises as he pounded me harder and harder with every passing second. The high ceilings bounced the sounds back at me, reminding me of my sin and my surrender.

Loki dragged my arms closer towards my body and pushed up on his forearms enough to lift his face above mine. My eyelids fluttered, but I managed to open them to see the unabashed lust in his features.

"You are mine," he whispered, his brilliant eyes half-lidded. "Say it."

A silvery thread of trembling excitement wound its way up my spine. "I...I'm yours."

He kissed me, hard, our lips still touching when he spoke again. "To whom do you belong? Tell me, darling."

I shuddered. "Loki."

At the utterance of his name, he shifted one final time and then released us both.

My inner walls collapsed with unfathomable strength around his cock. The coils and coils of unbridled nirvana snapped at long last and everything inside me melted into liquid, 18-carat fucking _pleasure_. It swept me off in its embrace into the cosmos of darkness and stars. I nearly wept from the sheer appreciation that I could even experience such pure ecstasy.

Better still, Loki called out my name when he spiraled over into the abyss with me. The bones in his pelvis dug into my soft flesh, sweetening the sensation with delicious friction and pressure against my spot. Searing heat spilled into me seconds later and Loki gasped in elation, rocking himself against me time and time again, low groans of delight in his throat escaping with every breath. Some truly depraved, perverse part of me sighed with happiness at the knowledge that I'd pleased an actual god in bed.

It was unclear which of us came to first. I think we both roused at the same time, maybe. Loki's damp forehead rested on mine, his long frame skin-to-skin with my naked curves, his grip loose on my wrists now. Naturally, he was extremely heavy, but not all his weight rested on me, to my relief. I'd missed this sort of thing, if I was being honest--a breathless, satisfied lover cooling down and just lying there, appreciating what we'd just accomplished. Though I found myself at a loss for words, for once.

Fortunately, Loki wasn't.

"I haven't come that hard in an entire century."

I lifted my eyebrows. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," he echoed. "You are an absolute treasure, darling."

I blushed furiously. "If you say so."

"I most certainly do." He kissed me again, and I felt the gratefulness in it somehow. I hadn't been wrong earlier, then. He appeared so cavalier and uncaring about being alone, but I could tell he'd needed the connection of intimacy and sex as much as I did, if not more.

He sighed into my mouth and wiggled his hips, eliciting a breathless moan from me as his semi-erect cock grazed a particularly tender spot inside me. "Such a magnificent little cunt. How it teases me still with its sweetness."

He settled above me into soft, slow strokes that pulled wistful keening from my throat as tendrils of lazy pleasure stretched through my body. I shivered as I felt his come leaking out onto my inner thighs, furthering the mess we'd both made already. "How shall I take you next, my sweet?"

I shook my head, answering in between kisses. "Don't care."

He clucked his tongue and grinned down at me. "Of course you do. You've a very particular woman. Don't tell me you've become shy all of the sudden."

"N-No, I've just...never been great at verbalizing matters of sex."

"Then it is long overdue. Tell me what you want me to do to you."

I fought the urge to cover my burning cheeks again. It was going to take a miracle for me to get used to how forthright he was being about all of this. I chewed my lip for a moment before summoning the courage to speak without my voice cracking. "So...maybe I'm a little curious about your magic. Mine seems to respond to yours at times when we're touching."

"A worthy subject of exploration indeed," he agreed. "They are of a kind. What in particular do you want to try?"

"N-Nothing too extreme. I just wanted to know what you can do with it."

"My magic has different manifestations, as do my spells. I'm quite adept at tactile magic, though I tend to keep it to myself."

I tilted my head. "Tactile magic?"

"It's part of why I can see images of the mind when touching someone. I can use it physically and metaphysically. For example..."

I nearly squeaked as I felt a sudden tugging at my nipples, although his hands were at my sides. A golden mist swirled over my breasts, stroking in circles. It had felt like someone with warm, fur-covered gloves had run their hands over my bare skin.

"Boy," I croaked. "Bet that came in handy when you were a teenager."

Loki laughed. "I take it you approve."

My eyes nearly fluttered closed as the feather-light sensations continued, sweeping up and over and down and around my breasts in perfect sync. "What was your first clue?"

He rolled me onto my side and slid up behind me, and the tactile magic never ceased, which meant his powers of concentration and multitasking were outstanding. He clasped one hand around my waist and trapped me against the front of his body. A strangled moan escaped as he flexed his hips enough to rub his hard cock along the curve of my ass as his magic continued stroking my breasts. I gripped fistfuls of the sheets and tried to catch my breath, but it was all in vain. God, I wanted him.

He slid inside me again just as his lips closed over my neck, his teeth grazing my pulse; a combination of slight pain and luscious pleasure that all but catapulted a moan out of me. Loki ground his hips into my ass in a slow circle before pulling out nearly all the way, groaning against my sweaty skin. Bliss blossomed in whorls through my body. I shut my eyes and simply held on as he rocked into me from behind, biting kiss marks into my throat every so often. Before long, I could hear myself moaning and whimpering as every delicious thrust pushed me closer and closer to the edge. I wouldn't last much longer at this rate. He must have sensed as much; seconds later, he slid his hand down between my thighs and circled my clit with his fingertips. I buried my face in the sheets to stifle a helpless cry, to which Loki chuckled softly.

"Like that, do you?"

He kissed the back of my shoulder and flattened his palm over my pelvis, pushing it back into every stroke, the pressure building and building in tandem with the light touch of his magic. I shuddered and tried to roll away to prolong the inevitable, but Loki wasn't having it.

Instead, he tossed one long leg over and rolled me onto my stomach, which pinned me prone underneath him, and redoubled his efforts. The air filled with the damp slap of his flesh on mine as he fucked me into the mattress, hard, fast, one hand buried between my thighs to fondle my spot, the other anchoring me to prevent escape. I cursed his name into the bed as my toes curled and my inner walls contracted with sudden and startling strength around his cock.

Loki hissed sharply as he felt me climax, his hips faltering in their rhythm as my slick walls milked him for all he was worth, lowering his mouth enough to bite a spot underneath my shoulder blade. I didn't know that was weak spot of mine, apparently. A lightning bolt of pleasure shot from bite right down to my lower body and I convulsed, letting out another muffled scream as I came a second time. The God of Mischief groaned in delight as he emptied himself inside me.

We both flopped flat to the bed as our collective orgasms drained away. A soothing blanket of afterglow crept up over me and I simply relaxed, boneless and calm and content.

Boy, I could really get used to this.

Loki stirred first, kissing the tender spot between my shoulder blades, before levering his heavy body off of me. He flopped onto his side again, but this time he drew me into his embrace enough to spoon me. His hand settled over my belly and began rubbing in a slow, petting motion that made me melt into nothingness in his arms. I'll be damned. The God of Mischief is a cuddler.

"What do you think of our arrangement so far?" he asked facetiously.

"Hmm," I said, reaching up and slipping my fingers into his unruly hair. He hummed in approval. "I'm just not sure it's the right fit for me."

"How unfortunate. I'm terribly sorry to hear that, darling." He licked one of the hickeys he'd bitten into my neck. Sarcastic bastard. But I had no room to talk.

I let out a dramatic sigh. "I guess we'll just have to try it a few more times before I'm truly sure it's what I want."

"Perhaps you're right. We can't come to a conclusion with insufficient data."

"We do have to be careful, though. The team knows you sort of like me a bit."

"That shouldn't tip them off to our nightly activities," he said. "But I'll be mindful not to treat you too favorably."

"I'm sure that'll be easy for you."

"Yes," he said dryly, and I had a hunch he'd rolled his eyes. "After all, our mutual disdain for each other was the first thing we finally agreed upon when we met."

"Yep. It was hate at first sight."

"A truly magical moment."

I giggled. "Was that a pun?"

Loki kissed my ear. "I'll never tell."

He was right. Life really was stranger than fiction.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader finds out an unexpected tidbit about Loki that causes some friction between them.

I had to make a concerted effort not to float into the common areas of the Avengers compound the next morning. As tired a cliche as it was in fiction, getting laid--physical or metaphysical--really did improve one's mood for the most part. I nearly started whistling at one point while making myself, Sam, and Nat some omelettes. The surprising part was that it was easy to act normal around Loki. Neither of us stole glances or exchanged flirtatious remarks. We'd already established some sort of rhythm in the past and had settled into our own groove. After all, nothing had outwardly changed. The only difference was that I did have to concentrate to keep myself from picturing him naked at times, since it was a damned beautiful sight. Though I did wonder if he'd made embellishments on his appearance in the dream world, but he struck me as the type to be honest in that instance.

That week, we also figured out a shorthand for how to communicate that we wanted to meet up. We couldn't talk about it aloud since FRIDAY, like Alexa, listened to all conversations within the facility in order to be at our fingertips. I didn't know how much Loki had gleaned from the Internet, but apparently it was enough for him to understand the egglant emoji. He texted that and a question mark to my phone, and I'd spewed Coke out of my nostrils. Well, at least he'd learned something from Midgardian culture.

It goes without saying that I looked forward to going to bed every night in which I answered yes to said eggplant text message. The sex was _incredible_. Almost insultingly incredible. Every position, every night, every time, was ecstasy incarnate. Loki fucked me like it was his goddamn calling in life to make me scream his name as if I didn't know any other words in the English language. Each morning I woke up with a wistful sigh, damp panties, and determination to keep this thing going for as long as humanly possible. I didn't care if somehow Tony found out about it. He could pry wild, hot, dream sex with Loki from my cold, dead fingers.

As per usual, my insomnia kicked in again randomly, much to my dismay, about seven days after our arrangement began and I found myself on the couch with Natasha watching one of my favorite teen comedies on Hulu.

"So," she asked casually, lifting a kernel of popcorn to her perfect lips. "Think Loki's rehabilitation is going to stick?"

I shrugged one shoulder. "Maybe. I mean, the whole reason he tried to rule the world was that he couldn't rule Asgard, and Asgard is gone. He doesn't have the motivation to screw us all over again, aside from revenge, and he knows he'll get thoroughly trounced if he tries it."

Nat nodded. "Fair enough. He's not a bad fit here, at least in terms of his abilities. That attitude could use some work."

I laughed. "Boy, could it ever. But I guess I'd be the same way if I were imprisoned among my mortal enemies."

"Think he'll ever come around?"

"Probably not. Guy's a god, after all. He doesn't have to if he doesn't feel like it, since he'll outlive all of us aside from Thor and Vision."

"I don't know," she said, eyeing me. "If anyone could bring him around, it'd be you."

"Why me? Birds of a feather?"

She snorted. "No. Loki has a complex. He's drawn to things he can't possess. You're smart enough not to fall for his bullshit, so you have his attention."

A sinking feeling pulled at my gut. "What makes you say that?"

She smirked. "He did the same thing to me when he first got here."

My jaw dropped. "No shit."

"Yeah," she chuckled, sinking down into the cushion a bit more as her green eyes returned to the flat screen. "I concluded he had a bit of a love-hate thing for me after New York. I sort of handed him his ass when I figured out his plan for Bruce, and I think he never got over it."

"So what happened?"

"Oh, he made me a proposition. I said no. We dropped it at that."

I chewed the edge of my lip as I processed this information. "Smart."

"Tch. Tell that to my libido," she muttered, and I choked on the next handful of popcorn.

"But you're...you!" I exclaimed. "You can have any man you want, no questions asked."

"True," she said with a smirk. "But men require too much effort. It's why it's so common for people in the workplace to date each other, despite what a bad idea it is."

I arched an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. It's easy to sleep with someone you work with. You already have something in common and it's a safe option since you know them. There's familiarity. Lower risk. Easier to please each other since you know what the other person wants."

I eyed her then. "Are you speaking from experience?"

"Some."

I eyed her harder. Then it clicked. "Steve."

Natasha gave me a mysterious little smile. "Where would you get that idea?"

I grinned. "Two words: Sam Wilson."

She scowled. "I'm going to pluck him like a chicken tomorrow."

I laughed. "Well, no offense, but that makes total sense to me. You two compliment each other. And Sam's told me stories about some of your adventures. I think you're very well suited for one another. I'd kill to have that kind of chemistry with a guy."

"Give yourself some credit," she said, her smile softening a bit. "You're easy to like once you stop being so closed off. Wouldn't be hard for a fella to fall for you."

I'd opened my mouth to answer when my magic flickered to attention at the presence of someone behind us. "My, my. Is this what the hens cluck about when roosters are away?"

Nat glanced up at Loki with a frown. "Hens?"

He flicked a perfunctory smile at her. "Ah, you're right. Wrong creature, my darling Widow."

She rolled her eyes. "What are you doing up anyway? Shouldn't you be hanging upside down from the rafters, wrapped in a cocoon of your own wings?"

I snorted back a laugh. Loki walked around the couch and sat down to my right, automatically reaching for the popcorn in my lap. "Why so curious about my sleeping patterns, Widow? Interested in finding out about them firsthand?"

"In your dreams."

He leered at her then. "Every night, in fact."

She shook her head. "And on that note, I'm out."

Nat walked around the back of the couch and ruffled my hair in a brief, affectionate gesture. "Don't let him bother you for too long. We're running drills in the morning at eight."

"Got it," I said. "Night, Nat."

She left. I focused on the movie again, since it happened to be one of my favorites. Loki continued crunching into the popcorn, too casual for it to be an accident. He was up to something.

"And just what is our cinematic masterpiece this time?" he asked.

" _10 Things I Hate About You_."

He lifted an eyebrow. "It's the name of the movie," I insisted. "Seriously. It's inspired by Shakespeare's _Taming of the Shrew_."

"Ah," he said. "A rather good choice of literature. Who doesn't love a difficult, sharp-tongued woman, after all?"

"Yes," I said mildly. "Apparently, someone has a thing for them."

He pursed his lips. "And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

Loki glared. "It is rather adolescent to evade an answer, you know."

"It's also rather adolescent to make someone your sloppy seconds."

He stiffened. "Excuse me?"

"Forget it," I grumbled. "Just...watch the movie."

A second later, the lights in the break room flickered out, swallowing us in complete darkness. I heard a low whine and then dead silence, which meant the power had cut out as well. Great.

The bowl mysteriously disappeared from my lap. Then, Loki's fingers attached to my wrist and he yanked hard on my arm until I left my seat entirely. He settled me firmly in his lap on the couch and held me there by my wrists. I couldn't see a damn thing, but I knew he was glaring up at me.

"Speak," he growled. "Now, wretched girl."

"I'm not a dog," I snarled, struggling to get free, but he wouldn't budge. "You don't tell me what to do."

"Tell me what you meant."

"Why should I? You don't care what I think one way or another."

"Wrong."

I froze. He pressed on past my sudden quiet. "If I have done something that displeases you, then tell me. Is that not why you told me you felt I deserved a second chance? You are in charge of my rehabilitation, after all. I need to know how to improve my behavior."

I gritted my teeth. He had a point. "You're only after me because Natasha said no."

"What?" he demanded.

"She told me you made a pass at her when you first arrived."

"And that makes you think the only reason I decided to engage you is because one single mortal woman turned me down?"

I hesitated. "It...sounds that way, yes."

"Mortals," he groused. "You are fools, the lot of you. Yes, I did make an offer to the Widow, but that is hardly the reason why I pursued you. I'm a god. If I truly wanted sex at that point, there were ways to obtain it without any of the Avengers being the wiser. I chose _you_ , woman. It wasn't a lack of options or for the sake of convenience and you bloody well know it."

Damn it. He'd made me sound like an insecure idiot just that quickly. Sadly, he was sort of right in that regard. It didn't take much to get inside my head. "I don't know anything, Loki. Least of all what goes on in your head."

"Shall I enlighten you, then?"

I expected another montage of images to swarm my thoughts, but they didn't. Instead, Loki slid one hand away from my wrist and wrapped it around my throat, drawing me down until I felt his hot breath wash over my ear. "I want to fuck you on this couch, right where she was sitting. I want to bend you over it and take you forcefully from behind. I want to spank your pretty little ass as I fuck you until you learn your lesson. As a matter of fact, if the lights weren't going to turn back on in the next ten seconds, that is precisely what I would do to you."

I shivered as he nipped the spot between my jaw and my neck, gently, not enough to leave a mark. "Rest assured, darling. I desire you and you alone. You were not my second choice. You never will be."

I whimpered as his other hand vanished between my legs and he palmed my entrance, the heel of his hand rubbing over my clit. "Now do us both a favor and get some sleep. Your punishment begins tomorrow night."

He slipped out from under me a second before the lights flicked on again and the power to the building had been restored. I knelt on the couch, shaking slightly, watching helplessly as he winked at me before disappearing around the corner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you can't tell, I'm still on my "Loki has a hateboner for Nat after The Avengers" jag and I'm probably never going to let it go. See my fic "Plaything" if you too ship it on the side. I do intend to finish it someday, but this is just part of my overall headcanon that Loki likes women who reject him. Sounds like his M.O. to me. 
> 
> Mwahahaha, punishment smut chapter is on its way.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki exacts his punishment on Reader.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Keep in mind, I'm still on the vanilla side of the spectrum. I don't want your expectations to be super high. Don't expect wild kinks here. Just not my way. That being said, see below.
> 
> Warnings: spanking fetish, throatfucking, maledom, titfucking, biting, come swallowing, dirty talk. 
> 
> Enjoy, fellow thirst buckets.

Did you ever get in trouble while you were in school, get sent to the principal's office, and had to wait for the principal to come in to tell you how far you were up shit's creek?

That was my day waiting for Loki's punishment sentencing.

I avoided him in the compound on purpose, simply out of embarrassment. He'd made me feel like a moody teenager after my little outburst, and I wanted to at least try to save face. Wounded pride needed healing, after all. I'd never been a confident sort of girl to begin with.

The first sign that I had landed myself in the dog house, so to speak, was once I fell asleep, I found myself in a different variation of Loki's bedroom on Asgard. The colors had all changed. The stained glass in the ceilings were red and purple. The sheets on the bed were black. A pale silver moon rose in the dark sky outside the window, giving the whole room an ethereal quality.

Loki sat on one corner of the bed, and thank God, at least he hadn't done anything extreme to his appearance. He wore the same type of Asgardian garb, but with scarlet embellishments rather than his usual green and gold along with the black leather and armor.

I, however, wore a rather skimpy black lace negligee that I'd never be caught dead wearing on my own, which meant I had the arrogant Norse god in front of me to thank for it. It figured he'd go with the classics for whatever lay ahead of me.

"You know," I said mildly, hands on my hips. "If you waited until the fall, this room would be perfect for Halloween."

"Sharp tongue as always," Loki mused, giving me a hooded stare. "We'll have to see to that, won't we?"

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. "You're going all out on the alpha male dominant thing, then?"

He chuckled. "I'm going easy on you, believe me. If this had been years prior, you'd be bound and gagged by now."

I smirked. "You like the fact that I sass you at every opportunity. That's the only real reason I'm not in some kind of crazy stockade contraption right now."

Loki stood and strode towards me, hands behind his back. "I can certainly whip one up, if you prefer."

"I would not, thanks."

He slid his arm over my waist and then turned me facing away from him. His other hand slid around my throat and stroked the sides of my neck as he lowered his lips to my ear. "You have invoked my displeasure by implying that I only want you as a result of being rejected by the Widow. As such, I intend to exact my revenge with methods of mild pain and minor humiliation, though none of them are permanently harmful to your body or your psyche. It will all be tempered with pleasure, of course, but I need your express consent before we continue. I assure you it will feel as good as what we've done before after I'm satisfied with your recompense. You may stop me at any point if it becomes too much to bear and I will obey. Do you understand?"

I tried not to shiver. I'd never been punished in the bedroom before. I wasn't entirely sure I'd be okay with it, but something in that velvet voice made me believe I was strong enough to handle it. "I understand. Should we pick a safe word?"

"It would be wise to do so. Will 'frostbite' do?"

Again, I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Frostbite, it is."

"Then I have your permission to act as I wish?"

I swallowed hard. "Yes."

"Very well."

"Just a reminder," I said a bit tartly. "If you ask me to kneel, I'm leaving."

Loki chuckled. "It's amazing the places your mind goes, my dear. I was a different man back then. I wouldn't dare invite you to think about Stuttgart. It would kill the mood."

I could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke again. "And I can still get what I want out of you without you being on your knees."

He scooped me up in one easy, swift movement and carried me bridal-style to his bed. It never ceased to amaze me to some degree how he could lift me like I weighed nothing to him. He deposited me onto the black bedspread and crawled up, higher than usual, until both his knees were underneath my arms and I got a good idea of what he had in mind.

"They call me Silvertongue," Loki drawled, icy eyes glowing as he slowly undid his pants. "But I could argue you could defend that title as well. Lift your arms."

I reclined both arms above my head. Loki scooted up until he all but straddled my upper torso and freed his cock with one final gesture. I'd thought it was terrifying before, but now it made me want to faint. He gripped my wrists and held my arms down against the bed as he repositioned himself above me. To his credit, though, he went the more indirect route; a second later, his long, hard cock slipped between my breasts until the tip rested an inch below my chin.

Loki exhaled and licked his lips, staring down at my chest longingly. "Now there's a pretty picture."

He wiggled slightly, drawing a gasp out of me as the blistering hot flesh of his cock tickled the sensitive skin of my breasts. Satisfied with my reaction, he crossed my wrists and then held them down with his spindly fingers. He trailed the fingertips of his free hand down my cheek to my chin and then across my lips. He traced the shape of each one, as he had done before in the past, his silvery voice several octaves lower as impatience took over.

"Open."

I parted my lips for him. His hips bucked upward against my breasts, creating a brief cushion with his lean, clothed thighs, and the rounded head of his cock rolled across my tongue. Loki's eyelids fluttered and he sighed wistfully. "Good girl."

He reached down and tugged the bodice of the nightie off my chest without removing the straps from my shoulders, and the straining lace pushed them together much like a bra. He pushed upward again. This time, more than a third of his cock entered my mouth and I closed my lips over it, wetting the tip, sucking enough to make him shiver. I couldn't quite decide what the God of Mischief tasted like; a little salt from his sweat, a little sweet from his cologne, nothing one could put a finger on. With every stroke, another inch of that thick cock slid inside my mouth. My eyes threatened to water by the time he hit the back of my mouth, but I concentrated on breathing deeply through my nose.

Loki shuddered and lowered his hand to my left breast, palming it, pressing the tender flesh against the column of his cock, moaning soft and steady even as his pace increased. He flicked his thumb across my nipple and I squirmed restlessly. I ached in all the places I was dying for him to touch, so much that even the slightest brush set me off. He hadn't taken off his armor on purpose, as part of the punishment. He knew I wanted bare skin and as much contact as possible after going so long without it. Bastard.

He must have felt me twitch; he pinched my nipple and frowned down at me. "Hold still. Be patient."

I of course couldn't reply, but I glared at him and thought, _Easy for you to say._

"Mm, that ever-present defiance," he purred, thrusting deeper, extracting more obscene slurping sounds from my lips, mouth, and throat. "But you and I both know you're powerless, and that excites you, doesn't it?"

I pressed my knees together as a flood of heat shot through me, straight down to my neglected opening. I tried to shake my head, but he caught my chin with his free hand. "Oh, yes it does. Knowing that this big, scary god has you drawn and quartered, to use you as his toy, to do whatever he wants and you can't stop him. Your fear is all but an aphrodisiac, darling."

He licked his lips again as he stared down at me and swept his hand across my right breast this time, kneading, teasing, thumbing over my hardened nipple. "That's it, my sweet. Take my cock. Take it in deep. I want to be all the way at the back of your throat when I come. And I want you to be a good girl and swallow every last drop."

Delirious dizziness set in as he pitched his heavy, lanky frame forward and sunk into hard, short bursts of thrusts inside my mouth. I struggled, half-choking, angling my head to accept the rest of his cock. I couldn't help the muffled moans of both protest and pleasure that escaped as he fucked my throat, as he fucked me into submission.

Loki drew in a long, shuddering breath and then froze above me quite suddenly. His cock throbbed, twitched, and then spilled come across my tongue and down my throat. His sooty lashes closed over his eyes as he met his release and he muttered something in Nordic, convulsing slightly every few seconds. He slumped back on his haunches after a minute or so, sliding his slick half-hard cock free of my mouth, and gasped for air. A light sweat made the pale skin on his face gleam in the scarlet and silver light of the bedroom. The expression on his face was that of pure bliss. Like scratching an itch you'd been resisting for a long time. Maybe he'd always wanted to do something like this to me, which was crazy to think, but probably not far from the truth.

I lay there, catching my breath, clearing my wet lips of the remains of his release. Loki shifted down until we were aligned on the bed again, still holding onto my wrists. The look in his eyes only stoked the impossible hearth burning between my legs. It was a wild, dangerous look, the kind only certain predators got when they were seconds from feasting on their prey.

"That," he told me. "Was outstanding, darling."

"You're bloody welcome," I replied with the utmost venom. "You're also lucky I didn't suffocate."

"Don't sell yourself short," he said, swiping his fingertip across the corner of my lips where I'd apparently missed a spot. "You were better than I ever could have anticipated."

After a moment's consideration, he wiped his finger on the sheets. "How long have you been wanting to do that to me?"

He arched an eyebrow. "Your reaction was pretty telling. Don't deny it. Just answer the question."

Loki cleared his throat. "Shortly after we met."

I blinked at him. "That long?"

"It's not often a woman surprises me," he confessed. "And you did when you saw through my illusion. It made you mysterious. It made me want to know more about you, which is why I sought you in the kitchen that night."

I eyed him. "And you've been holding back ever since we started our arrangement, haven't you?"

His brows bunched as if he wanted to frown, but he didn't. "What makes you say that?"

"This isn't an interrogation," I said, softening my tone. "Just be honest. Do you prefer the rough stuff? Have you been soft on me?"

He closed his eyes. "Somewhat. Not everyone is comfortable with such appetites, after all."

"How do you know unless you ask, Loki?"

He flicked a skeptical gaze at me. "I admit I didn't think you would comply considering your demeanor. You've been untouched for so long that I thought you would prefer a much more caring lover, not impersonal, rough fucking."

"It's possible to do both, you know."

"Mm. I have misjudged you, then."

"Sounds about right."

He nodded once, almost bowing his head. "I will refrain from doing so in the future. You have my word. Now then, let's continue, shall we?"

Loki gripped my hips this time and flipped me over. He raised me onto my hands and knees, slipping the straps of the negligee down until it completely freed my breasts, but he didn't take it off. I wore nothing beneath it, so I shivered as he ran his hands up my outer thighs slowly until he reached the hem. He pushed the lace until it bunched at my waist and exposed my ass to the cool air, and I couldn't help gasping as it hit my wet, scorching cunt. My inner walls clenched uncomfortably from the lack of stimulus and my abs tightened as a result.

"This," he said. "Is that last part of your punishment. You may only stop me with the safe word. If you don't, I'll continue until I'm satisfied. Afterward, I will consider us even. Do you understand, darling?"

"Yes."

"Very well." I heard the creak of leather and cloth as well as a long, slow exhale.

Then he slapped my right lower cheek, hard.

"Fuck!" I shrieked, balling the sheets up with both hands. It _hurt_. Son of a bitch, it hurt. Even with his warning last night, it still startled the hell out of me. Like any good slap, my skin tingled afterward and then the skin swelled slightly with irritation and heat. However, I knew he'd probably only used a tiny fraction of his strength and power, otherwise he could snap me in half. At least he'd gotten rid of the gauntlets. Nothing stung more than leather on bare skin.

Loki paused to let the blow sink in, and maybe to check to see if I would protest. Strangely enough, once the pain left, an enticing adrenaline flooded my veins. I became hypersensitive to everything around me. My heart rammed against my rib cage, excited at the prospect of trying something new and scary and strange.

He struck me again, on the left side of my ass. I flinched and clutched at the covers, but I still didn't move away like my instincts warned me to do. No one ever said I was a smart woman.

"Mm, very good," Loki purred as he massaged my waist in a gesture of comfort and appreciation. "You're so strong, darling. Powerful. Seductive. Beautiful."

He swept his fingers down again over my ass and I hissed as the tender flesh stung under the sudden touch. "I'm a lucky man to be able to taste and touch as I see fit. What fools the men of Midgard are to pass up on the opportunity to sate you."

He chuckled. "Although I'm sure that insolent tongue of yours is largely to blame."

I shot a dirty look at him over my shoulder. "Bite me."

The second I said it, I regretted it.

A smile dripping with pure evil found his lips. "It would be my pleasure."

Before I could do a thing to stop him, Loki darted down to the highest curve on my ass and bit down.

I shoved my face into the bed and screamed.

Loki groaned as he heard me and swiped his tongue across the teeth marks he'd left behind, soothing the marks immediately. He kissed the spot before he rose to his knees again and his voice came out hoarse this time. "Be careful what you wish for, darling."

He pinched my left thigh. "Up."

I forced my arms into working until I was on all fours again and shivering from head to toe. I couldn't put into words how damned confused he'd made me. It had hurt, and yet...I'd liked it. Somehow.

"You have no idea how much I've wanted to do that to you," Loki whispered. "Such a plump, lovely little ass. It's so entrancing when you move, darling. Hypnotizing. You tease me just by walking down the hallway towards your room."

 _Smack!_ I yelped, but held my place. "Not to mention that tight-fitting uniform of yours. Did Stark design it simply to drive me mad with lust?"

 _Smack!_ "I can't count how many times I've wanted to pin you against the wall and fuck you senseless while you're wearing it."

 _Smack!_ "Or bend you over the island counter in the kitchen and lick your cunt until you scream loud enough to wake the entire team."

 _Smack, smack!_ "When Stark threatened me that day, I had to throw an illusion over myself because I was so damned aroused from the fact that he doesn't know what I do to you here. That here, you're mine. That every single insult is just a cover for how much you want me. How much I want you."

 _Smack, smack, smack!_ I bit my lip as the words 'frostbite' tried to fall out. He'd driven me nearly to the edge of sanity between his spanking and his filthy talk. I couldn't handle much more.

Loki slipped his fingers into my hair and drew my head back, leaning over until his lips were level with my ear. "But you know, don't you, darling? How badly I crave you? You've been such a good girl, haven't you? Would you like your reward?"

I nodded shakily. "Say it."

"P-Please, Loki, I want my reward."

He placed his hand over my throat to keep me bent in an almost cobra-yoga-pose position, staring up at his smirking visage upside down, and then he reached for my stinging, slightly bruised ass. His other hand slid across the globe of flesh on my right side and abruptly cooled. I moaned, my eyes crossing in pleasure, as his hand became nearly ice-cold, soothing the spots where he'd spanked me. He brushed a kiss across my lips as he switched to the left half of my ass and soothed it as well.

"That's my girl," he whispered, nipping my lower lip. "My good, sweet, obedient girl."

He slipped his cock inside me just as the last word left his mouth.

My spine arched. The breath left my lungs in a harsh hiss of "Aah!" as if he'd reached into my chest and squeezed the air out himself. His cock burrowed deep into my molten heat, scraping, grazing every last overstimulated nerve on its way to the end of my tight channel. I shut my eyes and clung to the bed as my thighs trembled with the effort to hold back an orgasm.

Loki growled. "Oh, you stubborn thing. What ever shall I do with you?"

He passed his hands down over my aching breasts and gripped them firmly before trailing towards my waist, but he didn't leave them be; his magic flickered to life in their wake and echoed the stroking sensations. Loki ground his hips against my ass in a circle, butting the tip of his cock into my erogenous zone enough to drive another helpless cry from me before he retreated. He groaned with effort as he pulled out, as my inner muscles had all but locked him inside me, gripping him desperately, and I whined impatiently for more.

"So eager," he teased as he pumped his cock back into me. A delicious ripple of pleasure ribboned up through me with every thrust. The roughness of his strokes against the light, teasing warmth of his magic over my breasts had me mewling within seconds and forgetting all about the punishment I'd endured moments before. I caught myself wishing he'd never stop, that I wanted to waste the rest of my life completely saturated in decadent pleasure with him, as silly as it sounded.

The cadence of our carnal tryst sped up. His fingers dug into my skin as he rode the rise and fall of my backside, eventually slipping them down to stroke my clit. The pleasure sweetened, sharpened, shutting out everything except for his urgent voice in my ear. "You're at your limit, my sweet. Come for me."

"Please," I begged. "Just a little bit longer."

"You need not drag it out, darling," he murmured. "I'm yours now and evermore if you want me."

"God, _Loki!_ " I spiraled off into my climax at his words, undone by them. He didn't stop fucking me through the orgasm, sliding his hand down until our fingers twisted and entwined on the bedspread, holding me against his firm body as he followed me over the cliff into ecstasy.

When I came to, I was lying on my belly once more. Loki had more or less passed out on top of me, his sweaty forehead tucked in the groove of my spine, his warm breath curling across the small of my back. Even with a layer of leather and armor between us, the moment was oddly...sweet, in a way. Our hands were still clasped.

I was smiling when I drifted off into true slumber.

But I wasn't smiling when an explosion woke me up that next morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *maniacal laughter*


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki's in trouble and it's up to Reader to save him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Loki voice* Surpriiiiiiiiiiiiiiise!
> 
> I didn't originally plan for what happens, but it snuck into my head anyway. These are the endgame chapters. But don't worry. I'm not going to break your hearts like Infinity War. This has some of the elements from Infinity War, but the events of that story won't actually occur within this little alternate universe type story. The focus will stay with Reader and Loki even though the cast of characters is about to expand out towards the bigger original team.

The explosion rattled every single item in my apartment off its shelves and launched me off my bed onto the floor.

I lay on my stomach, coughing, the wind knocked out of me, but there was no time for that. I forced air into my lungs enough to wheeze out, "FRIDAY?"

"The compound is under attack," she told me.

"No shit!" I spat, hopping up and snatching my combat suit from the floor. "Where is the attack centered?"

"Scanning." A blue hologram appeared above my jostled, messy bed. "It's inside the gym. There's a ship hovering outside. Alien hostiles are preventing the other team members from going inside."

Something close to terror clutched my stomach. "Who's inside the gym?"

"Loki."

I shoved my comm-link into my ear and raced for the door. "Guys, talk to me!"

"Get down to the gym!" Nat said, her voice tight and winded. "I need backup."

"Copy that," I said as I raced for the stairs. "Sam?"

"I'm making a perimeter around the ship," he told me. "I'll try to disable it if I can."

"Thanks. Wanda?"

"I'm with Nat," she said. "We'll try to get you an opening to make it inside and help Loki."

"Thanks. Almost there. Be ready."

I slammed my shoulder into the door to the second floor stairwell. My eyes almost didn't adjust to take in what I was seeing right away. Nat had her electric bo-staffs out, although she wore pajamas instead of her stealth suit, smashing them into these bizarre black aliens with huge gnashing teeth and amphibious qualities. She and Wanda were back to back brawling with the monsters that had formed a circle around them in an attempt to keep them out of the gym.

I raced up and threw out both hands, flash-freezing two aliens right off the bat and kicking them into bloody chunks as I passed by. I formed a giant frozen spike around my fists and bashed the next one until its head flopped backwards, indicating a broken neck. Then I froze another's clawed feet to the floor and drop-kicked it in the chest, snapping its legs at the knees. I rolled onto my feet to see three rushing me from where they'd been guarding the door. Scarlet magic enveloped them and they hovered in mid-air, struggling.

"Go!" Wanda shouted.

I raced for the door and yanked it open, disappearing inside.

The Avengers' gym facility had been pretty damned impressive, with top of the line equipment with slick digital screens to adjust to anyone's needs. There were barbells decorating the floor, somehow twisted into bowtie shapes by something a thousand times more powerful than me. I dropped to one knee and pressed against the wall as I heard an eerie, nasal voice in the corner opposite me.

"You would save yourself a great deal of pain if you simply decided to comply, Loki," the voice said, oddly calm, but with an air of cruelty beneath it.

"Life is pain," Loki snarled back. "Anyone who says differently is selling something."

Quoting The Princess Bride mid-battle. A man after my own heart. I crept forward towards the far end of the gym, using the equipment and shadows to keep from being spotted. Loki levitated several feet off the ground, his body wrapped in what used to be a weight-lifting bar, hands pinned to his sides. There was a thick nylon cord around his neck that appeared to tighten just a little every few seconds. He had a large bruise on his temple and his skin was frightfully pale. I stamped down the panic and focused instead on his attacker.

The alien was tall and thin, had no nose, wrinkled sharkskin, and wore some kind of strange tunic. He had the perfect posture of a soldier. One hand was raised in a fist, likely controlling the cord around Loki's neck. If he squeezed hard enough, he'd strangle him. Right. I couldn't let him see me.

"For the last time, Jotun," the alien said. "Where. Is. The. Tesseract?"

"If I had the Tesseract, do you think I'd be here rotting in this ridiculous place surrounded by my enemies?" Loki spat. "You are as pathetic and stupid as the last time I saw you groveling under Thanos' boot, Ebony Maw. Leave this place while you still have a chance to survive."

"You are in no place to threaten or insult me, Jotun," Ebony Maw said. "You have no power. Your Avengers would just as soon see you die as I would. Let's not hasten your imminent demise with childish tactics."

I'd managed to sneak within several yards of the alien, huddling behind a pommel horse. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I calculated how far my ice magic would reach. I'd go for the head. No chance for him to recover if I froze him solid and punted his wrinkled head right off his shoulders. With any luck, it would release Loki.

I took a deep breath. _On three. You can do this. He's counting on you._

One.

Two.

Three.

I leapt up from behind the pommel horse and sent a column of ice right at the freakshow's head.

It collected in a thick band of ice less than three inches from Ebony Maw's spindly body.

Oh, no. He had a protective shield around his back.

His head snapped around and he snarled at me in surprise. His other hand came up and made a fist. A mat rose up from the floor and constricted around me. He jerked on his arm and I flew through the until we were face to face. He stared at me with lifeless eyes, and puzzlement filled them.

"Well, well," Ebony Maw said. "This is certainly surprising. When we sent that bilgesnipe down here to lure you out of hiding, there were indeed reports of a new enhanced individual on the team, but this is my first time seeing her for myself."

With my arms pinned to my sides, there wasn't a whole lot I could do. I could freeze the mat and hope it shattered, but that was about it. I flooded my magic through every pore and started trying to freeze it one layer at a time, but it was difficult with the mat squeezing the air out of my lungs. An instant headache pounded through my skull as every breath drew less and less air.

"You must be quite taken with her, Jotun," Ebony Maw sneered. "Another creature on this barren world with a similar affliction. She's risking her life now to save you. How kind. Will you repay her kindness?"

"She means nothing to me," Loki said coldly. "As do any of these Midgardians. Stop wasting my time. I don't have the Tesseract."

Ebony Maw clucked his tongue. "How disappointing. Are you not the God of Lies, Loki? How can you be such a poor liar?"

He flicked a finger at the wall of mirrors behind Loki. One pane shattered into enormous shards and floated until each deadly shard surrounded me from inches away. Dammit. I'd frozen the insides of the mat, but it was too tight for my legs or arms to kick at it. He'd immobilized me.

"I'll ask one final time, Jotun," Ebony Maw drawled. "Tell me where you hid the Tesseract or I'll kill your little darling. Slowly. She will die screaming your name."

I glared at the alien. "You talk too goddamn much."

Then I lobbed a hunk of frozen spit at him. It smacked him, hard, right in the temple. The distraction loosened the cord around Loki's neck, and the demigod took full advantage. He wriggled one arm free, snapped the cord off, and launched a dagger at the alien.

Ebony Maw cried out as the blade sliced along his neck, but the wound was superficial. He motioned with one arm and the metal encircling Loki slammed him to the gym floor with massive force. He grunted and tried to push up, but he couldn't.

"For that," the alien hissed at me. "I'll bleed you dry, Midgardian scum!"

The mirror shard closest to my forehead darted forward. I shut my eyes and waited for death.

"Wait!" Loki shouted.

The sharp point of the mirror stopped a hair from piercing my skull. My eyes opened to see a look of exhaustion and agony on Loki's face.

"I'll show you where it is," he whispered roughly. "Only if you spare her."

Ebony Maw clenched his teeth. "If you even attempt to trick me, I'll return here and rend her limb from limb. Do you understand me, you filthy Jotun?"

Loki nodded tightly, not meeting my eyes. Ebony Maw turned to me with another sneer. "Count your lucky stars, you pathetic creature, that I do not kill you like the insect you are."

He gestured and the entire back wall of the gym crumbled into dust. I could see the bottom half of a ship hovering several yards away. Ebony Maw floated out first. Loki trailed behind him, and the last thing I heard before I flew into the wall was a quiet, sorrowful, "I'm sorry, darling."

* * *

When I woke up, I was staring at the God of Thunder.

I'd seen Thor in video footage before, but it did not do him even the slightest bit of justice, honestly. As my likely-concussed brain returned my sight to me, it reported that he was an enormous tree of a man with cropped honey-brown hair and a matching beard. His biceps bulged with power and yet the little smile he gave me once my eyes opened was one of the kindest things I'd ever seen. A single blue eye met mine as he bent over me, his rumbling baritone voice pleasant.

"Hello there, milady. Nice to meet you. I'm Thor, son of Odin. Loki's brother."

"You're way hotter in person," I croaked. He let out a wonderful laugh and reached for the little table next to me, handing me a glass of water.

"Why, thank you. Here, drink."

My hands shook a bit, but I managed to push to a sitting position and accept the glass. I drank half of it until my throat quit feeling so raw and took in my surroundings. I was in the medical bay of the compound, and something told me it wasn't the same day as the attack. I checked my watch and cursed under my breath in confirmation. I'd been out an entire day.

"Easy does it," Thor said softly, helping me place the glass on the table. "You have a mild concussion and some cracked ribs. You were given some painkillers, I believe, to help your breathing stabilize as you slept."

I lifted an eyebrow. He gave me a sheepish look. "I...learned the terminology from FRIDAY."

"Ah," I said.

"I must tell the others you're awake. Please excuse me for a moment."

He strode for the door. The view was just as nice coming as going. Boy, those Odinson genes were something else, apparently. A moment later, Tony, Wanda, and Nat entered, along with Vision. Tony all but flew over to me and sat by my feet, his brow furrowed with worry.

"Kid," he said with a sigh. "Don't ever scare me like that again. _Ever_."

"I'll make a note of it," I said. "How bad?"

Tony flicked a worried glance at the team before answering. "We...don't know where Squidward took Loki. Not yet, anyway. Heimdall's working on it, but we think they've found a way to block his Sight from an exact location. FRIDAY's equipment got knocked out when they busted a hole in the gym, so tell us everything you heard."

"The alien's name is Ebony Maw. He has some sort of telekinetic ability, but it's extremely powerful, enough to immobilize both me and Loki simultaneously. He claimed that Loki had the Tesseract and he wanted it surrendered to him to be given to Thanos."

Nearly everyone in the room took a sharp breath. Thor stepped forward, frowning deeply. "Milady, are you absolutely certain he said the Tesseract?"

I nodded. Tony frowned. "What's going on, Point Break? You told us the Tesseract was destroyed on Asgard."

"I believed it to be," Thor said, pacing the length of my bed and rubbing his beard. "But...Loki would have been the last person to see it in the vault on Asgard. It's possible he took it and hid it somewhere for after he's released from his stay on Midgard."

Tony shook his head. "All this time I've been waiting for a suckerpunch and here it is. You know we ought to let him hang for it, right?"

Thor glared. "Stark, have care how you speak. Loki followed the rules you set to the letter. This happened before he came here. You are unfit to judge him of his actions--"

"How the hell am I unfit?" Tony spat, standing up. "He brought this mess down on all of us. It's a goddamn miracle the kid's not dead right now."

He shoved a finger into Thor's breastplate. "And that, big man, is on you and your goddamn brother. When he's starts messing with cosmic powers on our turf, we're the ones who suffer, not him. For all we know, Squidward's already pulled it out of his lying brain and he's dead in a ditch somewhere--"

Thor lifted Tony by the front of his vest. Vision gripped the Asgardian's wrist. "Thor, please. Stand down."

"Give me one good reason," Thor snarled.

"I believe your brother is alive, and that Mr. Stark might be able to help us find him."

Thor breathed out through his nose, and then lowered Tony back to the floor. Thor glanced at Vision. "How?"

The android turned his eyes on me. "Our young lady may have a way."

I blinked at him. "Um, me?"

"Yes," he said, coming to my bedside. "If I may?"

He offered his hand. I glanced at Tony, who shrugged. "Humor him."

I gently placed my hand in his. The yellow stone at the center of his forehead glowed brightly for a second and he shut his eyes. "There is a psychic resonance within your mind. That of Loki. His presence. His...emotions."

Vision's eyes opened and a spark of recognition went through them. "Your minds have been connected with each other as recently as the day before last, no?"

Everyone in the room froze and then stared at me. My face lit up with a blush. Oh, hell. Busted.

"It..." I licked my lips. "It's not what it looks like."

Tony crossed his arms. "And exactly what does it look like, Frosty?"

"Tony," Natasha said in warning. "You're not her father. Ease up."

"Ease up? Guy almost gets her killed and you're telling me to ease up?"

"She's an adult. She can make her own decisions, and she doesn't need anyone passing judgment. Leave it at that." Nat glanced at Vision. "What are you thinking, Vis?"

"The Mind Stone may be able to use her to track Loki's whereabouts, as their minds are still connected. It is very weak and it will likely dissipate within the next 48 hours, but it's there." He paused and gave me a little smile. "My apologies. I...did not mean to overstep and expose your personal business, but Loki's recovery is of the utmost importance. Thanos cannot collect the stones. If he does, the universe is in mortal peril."

"Yeah," I said, tossing back the sheets. "And violating fraternization rules comes second to mortal peril, last time I checked. So let me get dressed, and let's go find our asshole teammate."

That got me a little snort out of almost everyone. Nat gave me a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Everyone except Tony and Thor filed out of the room.

"This isn't a peepshow," I said to both men. "Turn around."

Tony rolled his eyes, but obeyed. Thor just turned politely. I shucked off the stupid hospital gown and began getting dressed. "Alright, out with it."

"How the hell could you do this right under my nose?" Tony snapped. "First of all, mind telling me what the hell you were thinking having a Vulcan mind-meld with Loki at all?"

"I do mind," I said tartly. "It's none of your business."

"It's exactly my business. I warned you not to get emotionally attached to the guy the second I gave you this assignment."

"Assignment?" Thor asked, and he still sounded rather cross.

"Look, pitch a fit all you want, big guy, but your brother is a wanted war criminal. Without you here to keep him on the straight and narrow, I had to come up with a plan."

"A plan?" Thor said skeptically. "Yes, because we all know you are so effective at such things. Loki showed no signs of regressing to his former life for the duration of his time here, and yet you continue to assume he is the same man he was several years ago."

"How is he not showing you that right now by lying to you about the Tesseract?"

"He didn't lie," Thor muttered. "He just didn't say anything about it."

"Great. Semantics. A lie of omission is still a lie. Quit changing the subject. What were you doing letting Loki play with your head, Frosty?"

I gritted my teeth. "None of your business, Tony. What's done is done."

"It's my business if he's been poking around in there from the beginning. If he's been manipulating you. Playing you. Making you lie to me."

"I never lied about anything, Tony. You should know me better than that by now."

He sighed. "I honestly thought I did."

I winced. That stung.

"Stark," Thor said. "The lady is not in need of your approval or disapproval. Whatever is going on between her and Loki is their affair, not yours. If you hired her for this team, then I can assume she is intelligent, competent, and trustworthy. Nothing will be solved by you insulting her."

Okay. Thor was now my new favorite person in the world. He glanced over his shoulder and winked at me, further solidifying the notion. By now, I'd finished dressing anyway so then he just turned to face me, as did Tony.

"Thank you, your majesty," I said quietly. "Look, Tony, I get it. It looks bad. But I'm your best bet to finding Loki and stopping Thanos from getting the Tesseract, so you're going to have to put it aside to deal with it later. If you want me off the team after this is over, so be it."

Tony narrowed his eyes at me. "Fine. But we're not done talking about this. If the team keeps stuff from each other, people get hurt. That's the way it always works. I learned that the hard way."

He slammed the door on his way out. Thor sighed and shook his head. "I worry for the daughter who will have that man for a father someday. He may in fact build a moat around her and lock her in a tower."

I tried to smile at that. "Yeah, probably."

He gestured towards the bed. "If I may, milady?"

"You may." He sat. I sat next to him.

"So," he said, lacing his fingers. "Agent Romanov tells me that you and my brother appeared to have hit it off, as they say."

I blushed. "To some extent."

He chuckled. "Please, milady, I don't mean to embarrass you. I'm genuinely curious. Loki does not like many people, and yet I sense that he likes you very much. I worried about him the whole time we traveled through the stars trying to find clues. I worried he would not adjust to life on Midgard. If he has found kinship with someone here, it relieves me."

I fidgeted. "Kinship is a strong word. We just...uh..."

"Ah," he said, nodding in understanding. "Nothing wrong with that."

"Not in the physical realm," I mumbled, wishing I could sink through the floor. "Just...in dreams. Since Stark is so staunchly against teammates dating each other."

"Please, milady, I told you. Don't feel embarrassed. Connection is important. We all seek it."

I glanced furtively up at him. "Even you?"

"Aye, even me. All I want to know is if he has treated you the way you wish to be treated."

I eyed him. "And if he hasn't?"

"Then a sound beating is long overdue."

I laughed in surprise, trying to catch it behind my hand. Thor grinned, his lone eye twinkling. "So?"

"Yes," I said between giggles. "He's treated me in an acceptable manner."

He nodded. "Good. Then I need not worry."

He stood and offered his hand. "Let's go find my wayward brother, milady."

I took the god's hand and left to face the music.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love me some Thor. Honestly, it's between him and Cap as my favorite Avenger. Though I still couldn't resist a little more Iron Dad.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is set. It's time to go get our Loki back.

When I reached the lab, I found yet another surprise waiting for me.

Captain freaking America.

He too was taller than he'd looked in the footage. His shoulders were impressively broad and sculpted, tapering down to amazingly narrow hips and lean thighs, drawing the eye like a perfect inverted triangle. He had a thick, perfectly trimmed beard and his hair was longer than I'd ever seen it before, but brushed back to show the little natural blonde highlights mixed in with the brown. He had a hardened look about him, but kindness and humility shone in his eyes as he glanced at me as I walked in.

"Ma'am," he said politely, offering his hand.

"H-Hi, America, I'm Captain," I mumbled, dizzy with how nervous it made me to shake his hand. "Sorry. Um. I meant, nice to meet you, Captain America. Wow. Wow, wow, wow, this is crazy."

He chuckled softly. "Don't sweat it. And it's Steve. Nice to meet you. They've told me a lot about you."

"They? Who's they?"

He nodded towards Nat and Sam, who were both grinning at my awkward fumbling. "You've helped them out a lot, as well as the rest of the team. Good to have you aboard."

I blushed even harder. "T-Thank you, sir."

Thor patted my back with a small laugh. "Please don't faint, milady. We still need you."

"Right. I'm trying super hard, but he's like _really_ handsome."

Steve shook his head, smiling at me fondly. "Well, at least she's honest."

"The more the merrier," another voice said, and I turned to see Bruce Banner walking over from where he'd been at one of the consoles.

"Dr. Banner," I said, shaking his hand as well. "Nice to meet you, sir."

"Oh, don't with the 'sir' thing," he said. "Like I need to feel any older right now."

I tried not to laugh. "Right, sorry."

"Let's get you started." He gestured towards the exam table. "Lie down. We're going to have Vision take a look. The equipment is just for safety reasons. He's told us it can be stressful on the body to look into the mind this way, so we're taking every precaution just in case."

"That's reassuring," I grumbled as I hopped onto the table and lay flat. Bruce flitted back and forth checking a few things and then pressed those little sticky pads with vital readings onto my forehead and both arms. I felt weirdly exposed lying there a few feet away from Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

I cleared my throat as the awkward silence grew. "Where's Tony?"

"Prepping one of his suits and the Quinjet," Bruce answered.

"Ah. Thought he'd be somewhere sulking."

Steve smirked. "So you have gotten to know him, then."

"Yep." I glanced backward at the upside down visage of Thor. "How was space, by the way?"

"Oh, the usual," Thor said, crossing his arms. "Murderous space pirates and the endless empty abyss. We were at least able to retrieve the Reality Stone from the Collector. The Power Stone is on Xandar, safely protected by the Nova Corp and we've put them on high alert. According to Stark, the Time Stone is with a wizard by the name of Doctor Strange. As the Mind Stone is with Vision, it means the remaining ones that Thanos would want are the Tesseract and the Soul Stone, the latter of which no one has ever seen and lived to tell the tale."

I blew out air from between pursed lips. "No pressure."

"Fret not, milady," he said in a gentler tone. "We're the Avengers. We can handle this."

I snorted. "It's not you guys I'm worried about."

He smiled down at me. "But you're one of us, remember?"

I blushed again. "Oh."

His smile grew into a grin. "I see why he likes you, milady."

I covered my face with both hands. "Stop it or my head's gonna explode."

He let out a boisterous laugh. "Aye, as you wish."

I heard footsteps and Vision drifted into view beside Thor. "Are you ready, miss?"

I exhaled. "Yeah. Good luck. Don't break anything."

Vision gave me a small smile. "I shall try my best."

The stone in his forehead glowed anew. He rested his fingertips on my forehead and shut his eyes. I mirrored him and waited for the inevitable.

One moment, I was on the table.

The next, I was somewhere else.

_My limbs were tightly bound. I knew I couldn't get them loose. Even my neck had been strapped to the wall. I was powerless._

_My vision felt...odd. It was like seeing through a kaleidoscope at first, but then things cleared slightly. I was on an enormous ship. We'd gone at lightspeed after leaving the Earth's atmosphere. I'd told them the coordinates to the Tesseract, but it wasn't the truth. I'd only wanted to lead them away from the planet before they could do more damage._

_Or before they could hurt her again._

_Perhaps they'd kill me when they found out, but it wasn't really about that anymore. I just needed to stall. If the Avengers could assemble in time, they'd get her somewhere safe, and they'd come looking for me. As much as I didn't care for them, they were effective. I'd either be rescued or avenged. I didn't look forward to death, but it granted me some comfort knowing my brother wouldn't rest until the man who killed me lay dead beside me._

_I craned my head enough to see the controls over one of the alien's shoulders. We'd arrive within the next several hours. Nothing to do now but conserve my strength and plan ahead._

_Breathe, Loki. Just breathe._

_I shut my eyes again._

_At least she's still alive._

"Loki!" My eyes popped open and I lurched upright with a strangled cry of panic. Steve and Thor hurried to either side of me and pushed me down again.

"Easy, easy, milady," Thor said. "Breathe."

I was gasping for air, disoriented from the mind meld, caught between Loki's emotions as well as my own. It took me a few moments to get a handle on them, but I managed.

"It worked," Vision said, the stone still glowing. "There's a psychic residue that I can follow to its source. We must leave quickly if we want to arrive in time."

Steve touched the link in his ear. "Tony, we're on. The team's heading for the helipad now."

I peeled off the vital signs pads and hopped off the table. "Let's go."

Steve caught my arm. "We need you here."

I frowned at him. "What? Why? Vision might need me if the trail gets cold."

"Ebony Maw made a threat on your life," he said. "If we don't get there in time, they'll come for you. We need you to be somewhere safe."

I straightened my shoulders and drew as much courage out of me as possible. "No offense, Captain, but that's bullshit."

He blinked at me, but didn't interrupt. "If Maw comes looking for me, the last thing I want is for him to find me here on earth where there are innocent lives at stake. I'm going with you."

Steve searched my eyes for a moment, so I spoke up again. "And I trust you guys. I'm just as safe out there as I'd be here."

"Stark's gonna raise hell."

I grinned and shrugged one shoulder. "What else is new?"

He snorted and glanced at Thor. "Yeah, I see why your brother likes her too. Let's go."

* * *

"She's not going."

"Tony."

"She's not. _Going_."

"Tony--"

"She's still recovering from a mild concussion and Vision just played tennis with her brain, for God's sake--"

"Tony!" Steve said sternly. "It's not up to you. It's her choice. You know that."

Tony worked his jaw and glared at me, but I could practically feel the waves of protective worry coming off of him like bubbling vapor. Sure, he was still mad at me for fooling around with Loki, but that wasn't the only reason. As annoying as it was, I was a tiny bit touched by his concern. I'd never had anyone fret over me before, aside from the orphanage where I'd been raised, and even then they fretted over everyone in their care.

"We've got enough to juggle and now you want to add to it?" he asked me.

"Tony, you didn't hire me because I'm adorable," I said calmly. "You hired me because I can handle myself. You hired me to be the muscle while all your big guns were off planet. You and I both know this has nothing to do with me not being capable of protecting myself. It's about you. So while I appreciate the concern, you're gonna have to get over yourself. We're wasting time."

With that, I stepped around him and walked up into the space-worthy Quinjet. Its schematics had actually been a part of the packet he'd given me. It was about three times the size of the usual Quinjet and had small areas for sleeping and eating. It used repulsor technology and had various working parts to sustain long travel without having to stop for fuel, and thus was probably the coolest damn thing I'd ever seen.

On Cap's orders, the team split in two: me, Vision, Thor, and Cap on the Quinjet to go look for Loki while the rest of the team stayed here to protect the earth if the Children of Thanos decided to go after the Time Stone in our absence. They'd contacted Doctor Strange so he'd be on alert as well. I only hoped this was just a fluke, a moment of opportunity, but I knew better. War was coming.

And it would get here sooner rather than later.

Vision was already aboard, seated with a calm, serene expression of concentration. I sat next to Thor on the jet and strapped in. He sent me a sly little side-glance. "Big guns, huh?"

"Well, I mean, look at you," I said frankly. "Do you mind?"

I pointed at one of his biceps. He laughed and flexed it while I gave it an inquisitive squeeze. "Lord have mercy. What do you even eat, Thor?"

"Everything."

I nodded. "Sounds about right."

Both our gazes drifted over to where Tony and Cap stood, still arguing. I caught snatches of the argument, including "her blood is on _your_ hands" and "she's not a child" and tried my best not to sigh.

Thor bumped my shoulder with his. "If it brings you any comfort, it's not all about you. Did they tell you what happened with Steve's friend, Bucky?"

"The abbreviated version," I admitted. "Only from the files and what I could gather on the news. They said that Bucky was framed for the murder of King T'Chaka, so Cap went after him to stop T'Challa from killing him."

"They still haven't fully reconciled," Thor told me. "This incident may be adding some fuel to the fire, so to speak."

He quieted as Steve walked up the ramp into the Quinjet and hit the door release button. Tony had enough time to spare me one last furious, concerned look before it closed. Steve sat in the pilot's chair with a sigh, angling his face towards us.

"We ready?"

"Anchors away, Cap."

He flashed me a small smile before beginning the launch sequence.

God help us all.

* * *

Bless his heart, Thor kept me distracted with tall tales of his adventures over the last few years he hadn't been on earth. I was particularly staggered by what happened during Ragnarok and had to deal with the fact that he had to be ridiculously strong to survive it. It also gave me a little more insight into Loki as well, since he'd done a 180 on his usual behavior in the end. His decision to return to Asgard to fight Hela was certainly why Thor was so fiercely loyal and convinced Loki had changed for the better. It was honestly a bit heartwarming to hear him speak so fondly of his brother in spite of how nasty and confrontational Loki usually acted around everyone. Thor truly knew him well.

After a long stretch, Thor sat up front with Vision to keep an eye out as we got closer to our destination, which left me and Cap. My right leg bounced up and down with nervous energy. I didn't speak, mostly because I was convinced I'd make a fool out of myself if I did.

"We'll find him," Steve said in a quiet but steady tone. I glanced up to see him looking at me with a little reassuring smile. "I'm not exactly a fan of Loki's, but I know he's hard to kill."

"Yeah," I agreed. "He has died twice now. Besides, he's a contrary son of a bitch. He wants to stick around just to annoy everyone."

"Sounds about right." Steve leaned his forearms on his knees. "You doing okay?"

"I'll be fine."

"What happened back there with Tony..." He shook his head. "He means well. It just doesn't always come out right. He can lash out when he's upset."

"Yeah, I gathered as much," I said mildly. "And it doesn't help that he found out about...you know."

"You were right. It's none of his business. I think sometimes Tony forgets that it's natural to get close to people you work with when you do what we do. We don't really have many options for romantic pursuits. After all, he fell in love with Pepper and she worked for him."

"I get it. I do. I mean, Loki's reformed, but he murdered one of Tony's friends in cold blood and tried to kill all of you shortly afterward. It's not exactly sane to want to pursue anyone who did something like that."

Steve nodded. "But people can change. Tony struggles with that sometimes. It took a lot for him to change from who he was when he first became Iron Man. He's not always sure that others can do the same."

I winced a bit. "I...read what happened with Mr. Barnes. I'm sorry."

Steve shook his head. "Don't be. He's safe and he's getting help. It's the best thing for him."

"What about you?"

He blinked, but then relaxed a little. "I'm alright. It's good to be back among friends. It helps."

"I'm glad."

"So am I. Regardless of how Tony feels, I appreciate what you've done for our team. Keeping my friends safe and helping out. You're very brave."

I fidgeted. "I'm not brave. I'm just stubborn."

Steve smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Same difference."

"Captain," Vision said. "We're arriving."

"Right," Steve said as we both stood and walked up behind them. There was an odd technicolor planet in our view. "Thor, any chance you know where we are?"

"Contraxia," the Asgardian King rumbled. "Very bad place for very bad people. So naturally, it would be Loki's first choice to pretend it's where he hid the Tesseract. Its inhabitants are not only hostile to each other, but like most of the known universe, they also hate Thanos. If he took them here, he's definitely stalling for time since the natives ought to keep them busy for a while."

"Understood. Vision, you lead the way and she'll back you up. Thor and I will keep them off you two while you retrieve Loki. We'll try to keep this quiet, but if all else fails, head back to the Quinjet."

"Captain," Thor said slowly. "Understand that I am not leaving this place without my brother."

Steve nodded. "Understood, Thor. Everyone ready?"

I cleared my throat. "Ready to descend onto a hostile alien planet to rescue the guy who's tried to kill everyone on this ship except Vision? Sure, why not."

Steve smiled and gave me a pat on the back. "Welcome to the Avengers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I had so much fun writing Reader's interactions with the other half of the team. To quote Cap, "I could do this all day."
> 
> I headcanon that the Avengers really would be rather welcoming, honestly. It's truly a great group of people and I love them dearly after spending this much time with them in the MCU. Avengers 4 is going to break me. I just bloody know it. 
> 
> Thor is a giant golden sunshine teddy bear and I fucking love him so much. But that's obvious already. I really enjoy writing dialogue with him and Reader. 
> 
> Hang in there! I'm mowing down these chapters since I've gotten in a good flow lately, so keep an eye out for more soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and the team rescue Loki.

I was standing on an alien planet.

God in heaven, I was _standing on an alien freaking planet_.

Contraxia actually didn't look terribly different once we'd landed on the ground. It was snowing out, so aside from the bizarre black trees we flew past as well as the strange rainbow fog, it didn't hit me as hard. We'd landed the Quinjet in a small clearing with plenty of forest to hide it. Vision took point as we walked through the white out towards the city in the distance, me hot on his heels, Cap and Thor bringing up the rear.

Once we reached the town, though, it became clear that I was once again on an alien planet.

For one, there were androids and robots everywhere--in the windows, available for purchase and just walking around outside. The aliens in the crowd made my head spin with how bizarre some of them looked, but they didn't give me a second glance. Thor, however, turned a lot of heads, particularly those of some ladies of the evening, to put it bluntly. Even with the haircut, it was clear the folks on this planet recognized him. I worried it might ruin our cover, but then again, these same people had likely already seen Loki.

"There," Vision said, stopping at the corner of a long city block. Strange symbols were carved into the archway of a building.

"Thor?" I asked.

"It's a bank of some sort," he explained. "Makes sense. Loki may have hidden some of his treasures or recovered items from Asgard here. It also would force them to keep him alive to access the vault with the safety deposit box, as most alien banks require biometric scans from living organisms."

"It's quiet," Steve said. "Don't see anyone going in or out. Suspicious."

"They've likely cleared the bank," Vision said. "No witnesses. However, I'm hearing a lot of rabble around us. The citizens of this planet may be planning to rob them once they leave, which means we should be on high alert."

"Agreed. Vision, see if you can do some light surveillance to see if they've already reached the vault."

He nodded once, and then simply sunk into the ground like a ghost. I yipped a bit in surprise. Steve gave me a sympathetic smile. "Sorry. He forgets to warn people when he's going to do that."

We hung out in the nearby alley for several minutes before Vision returned, his expression grim. "We must move now. They've nearly reached the vault. It's in the sub-basement. I've disabled any alarms I could find."

"How many?"

"At least twelve by my count."

Steve nodded curtly. "Meet us inside."

Vision vanished into the ground again. Steve gestured to Thor. "Mind knocking out the power?"

Thor grinned. "My pleasure."

He raised his face towards the sky. Dark grey clouds collected in the heavens, barking out thunder, and then a bolt of lightning came crashing down upon the power lines feeding into the bank. A sonic boom went off and then the lights sputtered out.

Thor gestured and inclined his head to me. "Ladies first."

I shook my head and jogged across the street to the bank's entrance. Cap and Thor followed, and once he gave me the nod, I wrenched the doors open.

Two of the strange leathery-skinned creatures with enormous teeth had been guarding the door and snapped their heads around once they opened. Both of them ran at me in a dead sprint on all fours. I extended both hands and froze a patch of ice several feet wide. They crashed to the ground, head first, knocking themselves out cold. I stayed low and beckoned my companions, freezing the aliens' limbs to the floor as I passed by.

We made it through the lobby and around the corner to a stairwell. I hung back this time as I heard snarling. Steve took the lead, followed by Thor, and I stayed put to make sure no one snuck up behind us. I heard grunts of exertion, more growls, and then silence. I slipped into the darkened stairwell and followed the faint glow of Thor's lightning as it coursed around his thick, muscular body to light the way. I nearly tripped over the massive unconscious aliens as I went, but I made it down to the basement nevertheless.

There was an atrium with a slightly open gate and through there I could see a room with what looked like forcefields covering all the walls where the safety deposit boxes were behind. Some were as small as mailboxes, but others were enormous and had blurred shapes moving around in them. Yikes.

As we gathered on either side of the door to the vault, Vision reappeared. I had to clap a hand over my mouth to keep from shrieking in surprise. "Your orders, Captain?"

"I'll take the left. Thor, head for Ebony Maw. Vision, you and her get Loki clear--"

"You've wasted the last second of my time, Jotun!" Ebony Maw bellowed. "At least in death you will finally be of some use!"

Loki screamed in agony just as Cap shouted, "Go!"

We raced inside the vault. There were six of the leathery aliens in a semi-circle around Loki, who was smashed against one of the force fields behind him. The electricity from the field sparked and jumped through his limbs, electrocuting him. The aliens ran at us. Steve dove into a roll and came up swinging at them as Thor flew towards Ebony Maw. Vision shot a beam of light that slashed two of the aliens right in half as I formed ice fists and bashed in the head of two of my own. Thor had managed to tackle Ebony Maw right out of the air, so Loki slumped limply to the ground.

I fell on my knees beside him and checked his pulse. It was weak and rapid like a trapped butterfly's wings. "Is he alive?" Vision asked as he fought off another creature.

"Yes, but barely." I gritted my teeth and smacked Loki's cheek, hard. He gave a little start and his lashes slid back to reveal those seawater eyes. They were cloudy with pain, but after a few seconds, he recognized me.

"Darling?" he croaked.

I smiled down at him, shutting out the noise and the violence and everything that wasn't him. "Yes, it's me, you annoying bastard. We need to get out of here, now."

"You..." he struggled to speak. "You shouldn't have come here. Safe. You were safe on Midgard."

"Fuck off, Loki," I snapped. "Now get your bony ass off this floor so we can go home."

"Kill us," he whispered hoarsely. "He'll kill us all."

"Then we'll die together," I told him. "Get. _Up_."

He took in several labored breaths, but hefted himself onto his knees. I hauled him up and pulled his arm over my shoulder, shouting, "Vision!"

The android switched places with me, draping Loki across one side of his body and darting towards the exit with me hot on his heels.

"Get to the jet!" Steve called, dodging a chunk of rock that Maw threw at him. "We'll catch a ride!"

We hurried up the staircase and around the corner to the lobby. There were indeed some rowdy patrons from the town standing in front of the door with various weapons, sneering as their eyes locked on Loki.

"Listen, mate," one of the blue men said. "Your majesty there's got a bounty on his head the size of the planet. Mayhaps we can take him off your hands, eh?"

"Gentlemen," Vision said, a picture of calm. "Please stand aside."

"Or what?"

"We'll make you," I finished for him, arms at my sides, hands balled into fists.

The blue man leered at me. "Oh, is that right, love? Maybe we ought to take you for a ride as well--"

Without another word, I froze him solid. His heavy body tipped back and then shattered into bloody pieces on the floor. The others stared at him in shock.

"Anyone else?" I asked politely.

A pause. Then they all bolted for the door. Loki let out a weak, choked laugh. "That's my girl."

I rolled my eyes. "Come on."

Vision scooped me up by the waist and flew us over the city out to the Quinjet. Once inside, he immediately booted up the autopilot and set the coordinates as I dumped Loki on the medical table and started pulling his armor apart to check out his wounds.

"Ah," the exhausted Asgardian remarked once I stripped off his chest armor. "Just like old times."

"Shut up."

His chest looked awful--purplish with bruises from his restraints, bloody from various cuts, and reddened from the electrocution. He coughed weakly in response to my command, still trying to smirk even after all of this mayhem. Typical.

I pried open the cabinet on the wall with First Aid kit and sifted through its contents until I found anti-bruise creams, gauze, and rubbing alcohol. I didn't know jackshit about Asgardian or Jotun biology, but I figured their bodies worked similar to ours since they were bipedal organisms that breathed oxygen.

"Do you have any allergies?" I asked him as I uncapped the rubbing alcohol.

"Peanuts," Loki said blithely. "And human emotion."

"I'm going to kick your ass as soon as you're not at Death's Door."

He grinned at me. "Looking forward to it, my sweet."

I heard the roar of a strange engine and whirled around, readying my magic, but then Steve and Thor skidded to a halt just outside of the Quinjet. They hurried inside and closed up behind them.

"Is he dead?" I asked.

"Not sure," Thor said. "I broke him in half, so I suppose there's a possibility he survived, but I doubt it."

"Good man."

"The Contraxians are hot on our trail," Steve told Vision. "Let's get the hell out of here before they catch up."

"Of course, Captain." He hit a few buttons and the jet took off into the wintry skies.

"How is he?" Thor asked, concern in his handsome features.

"Annoying as hell, but alive," I told him as I cleaned his bleeding wounds one by one.

"Good," Thor said, glaring at Loki. "You will answer for this, brother. Make no mistake of that."

Loki sighed. "Business as usual, then. I don't suppose I could--ow!--convince you I held onto the Tesseract for a noble reason."

Thor crossed his arms. "Not even remotely."

"It's the truth. The Tesseract is a formidable weapon. We could use it to stop Thanos. I couldn't just let it be destroyed on Asgard when it's our best bet at defeating him if he gets the stones."

"Assuming he doesn't kill everyone before we get to use it," Thor growled. "You put your life in danger as well as those I care mostly deeply for. I've had enough of your selfishness and poor attempts at justification. You even put this lovely girl in harm's way with your arrogance."

Loki scowled. "I put her in harm's way? You're the one who brought her right into the line of fire--ow, damn you, woman!"

He glared at me. I glared right back. "Hold still or I'll strap you down to this table and knock you unconscious for the ride home."

Loki pursed his lips, but he didn't try to flinch away as I finished cleaning the laceration across the right side of his ribs. I got them all cleaned and bandaged before turning to the bruises. "Before I start, did they hurt you anywhere else?"

A Cheshire cat grin spread across his mouth. "Well, I do seem to recall a rather awful problem right down here--ow!"

Thor flicked him in the side of the head. "Answer the damn question, brother."

"No," he grumbled, rubbing the sore spot. "For Odin's sake, brother. Was that truly necessary?"

"No," Thor said smugly. "But it made us both feel better."

He winked at me before he moved towards the front of the jet to check on Steve and Vision. A tense silence fell as I treated the bruises on Loki's chest and arms one at a time.

"How did you find me?" he asked quietly.

"Vision used the Mind Stone and found a psychic connection between you and me. We used it to track where you were. It was a good idea to stall, by the way. Saved your life, in fact."

Loki frowned. "I take it, then, that the team knows that we're--"

"Yeah."

He sighed. "Fantastic. Stark will be even more insufferable, no doubt."

"You don't know the half of it," I muttered. "But we'll jump off that bridge when we get to it. Are you hungry or thirsty?"

He shook his head. I capped the cream and set it back inside the kit. "Then get some rest."

I started to move away, but he caught my wrist. He had a strange look as I glanced down at him, somewhere between affectionate, ashamed, and worried.

"I swear to you," he whispered. "I never intended you any harm."

"The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Loki."

His fingers tightened on my arm. "I'd sooner die than see you hurt. That is the truth."

A lump weighed heavy in my throat. I swallowed a couple times to clear it. "I wish you'd told me. Or at least told Thor. He loves you, Loki. You're lucky. You could have died. You're his family. You matter to him. Don't just throw that away. I'd give anything for someone to care about me that much."

Loki tugged me closer, his voice raw. "Would you believe me if I said that I do?"

I smiled sadly down at him. "God of Lies, remember?"

He lifted my hand to his lips and kissed my palm. "Not always, darling."

His eyes drifted shut. "Not always."

* * *

Thankfully, the earth was still in one piece when we returned, and neither Thanos nor his children had been spotted. We took Loki straight to the medical bay. FRIDAY performed a full scan and confirmed that while he had a myriad of cuts, bruises, and fractures, he was in no immediate danger. He just needed rest, food, and water, and his natural ability to heal would kick in and return him to normal in a matter of days. Thor got him settled in his room once FRIDAY cleared him and then left to check on the citizens of Asgard.

Tony at least let me have a nice, hot shower and a meal before he dragged me into a meeting in his office. Though meeting was probably a loose term. I got the feeling he just wanted to grill me.

"Look," he said. "I'm going to make an attempt to be civil and listen to your side of the story, but I make no promises."

I crossed my arms. "That's really big of you, Tony."

He dragged a rolling chair over to me and plopped down, brandishing both hands at me. "Regale me."

I heaved a sigh and took a moment to order my thoughts. "I told you when we met that I'm an orphan. I've been alone for most of my life. Even at the orphanage, I didn't make friends easily. After I aged out, I had a life and it was alright, but I still was never very good with meeting people or making friends. Then New York happened and pretty much eliminated any chance I had at being normal. As a result, I haven't really had time for men or dating. I've gone without basic human contact for very long stretches of time."

I licked my lips and stared at the tabletop as I continued. "And Loki...for the most part, he understands some of what I've gone through. Being isolated, that is. So he came up with an idea that would work for both of us, but also wouldn't violate the terms you set here in the compound. It didn't start until a little over a week ago. He wasn't messing with my head or anything in my conscious brain. We just spent time together in our subconscious taking care of business. Nothing more, nothing less."

I risked a glance at him. He was scrutinizing me, but there wasn't any abject horror or disgust in his gaze. "I take it you made this arrangement when you were in Italy, then?"

"Yes."

He shrugged a little. "Well, at least that part's on me. Shouldn't send a man and a woman to a Tuscan villa and not expect them to fall in love."

I threw my head back and groaned. "We are not in love, Tony."

"Fine, fine," he said, scratching his head. "If you say so, kid. You're swearing to me that this is just metaphysical? No hanky-panky when everyone's asleep and no off-site rendezvous at the Four Seasons?"

"Correct."

"Alright. I'll give you that. It's...effective, if nothing else. Sex has a way of evening you out and keeping a body healthy to a certain extent, and you're right. It'd be hard as hell to date being a superhero."

Tony stood and paced for a bit. "You read the packet, right? Cover to cover?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Peter Parker. Remember him? Our intern, I guess?"

"What about him?"

"Great kid. Sweet kid. Sweet as pie, actually. He's like if you mixed cotton candy with a pet store full of puppies. I've been mentoring the kid for a while. Sort of his tech guy. Guiding him along the path since he's so young and he doesn't know a whole lot about the world. And as I've been doing that, I noticed it's had a peculiar effect on me that Pepper brought to my attention."

He leaned his hands on the back of one of the big leather chairs, squeezing it. "I reacted poorly to this revelation about you and Loki. I admit that. I said some things I should not have said, and things that I would never have said to a colleague. If I'd have said those things to Natasha, for instance, she'd probably cut my Achilles tendon and leave me in a dumpster to bleed to death."

I nodded without saying anything. He was dead on about that. "I think this whole mentoring thing with Parker has me in a bit of a Dad mode, and that's who you were talking to the other day. Not Tony. Iron Dad. Which is not cool. It's unprofessional and it's immature. But it happened. And I'm sorry."

My brows lifted. Holy shit. Tony Stark apologizing was not on the list of things I ever thought I'd see in my lifetime. "You're your own person, Frosty. You're a full grown woman. You can drink alcohol and vote and rent a car and get a passport. I'm pretty spry for a guy my age, but I'm a little old fashioned. I couldn't stop thinking about if Loki had hurt you, when I'm the reason you're here in the first place. It would indirectly be my fault if you got hurt, and if he specifically hurt you."

He exhaled. "My point is...I don't approve, but it shouldn't matter. It's not like I even practice what I preach. I'm marrying my employee and best friend, for God's sake. The reason I try to keep everyone from mixing business with pleasure is to avoid friction in the team dynamic. It doesn't always work. I'm sure by now you know that Cap and Widow are a thing, as are Wanda and Vision, and that works for them. What you have with Reindeer Games might work out for you. Who knows? I just need to hear that you're okay every once in a while, maybe."

He glanced at me. "Think you can do that for an old man?"

I smiled. "Yeah. I can. Thank you, Tony. I appreciate it."

"Glad we got that out of the way." He rubbed his hands together. "Now, the other thing. When I gave you this assignment, I said it was temporary."

My throat went dry. "Right."

"Well, I had a conversation with the team and they'd like me to ask you if you want to become a part-timer like Parker. You don't have to move in permanently unless you want to. You'd be filling in a backup position since we've got some heavy stuff on the horizon and we need all hands on deck. What do you think?"

I fought to keep a straight face. "That would be...good. I'd like that a lot."

Tony grinned. "You're trying not to scream, aren't you?"

"...no?"

He chuckled. "If you say so, kid. We'll get all the boring paperwork done another time. Go get some rest and figure stuff out with Tall, Dark, and Evil."

I stood and debated with myself for a second or two. "Oh, screw it."

I hugged him. He chuckled again and patted my back. "Thank you, Tony. Really."

"You won't be saying that in a few weeks," he assured me, batting his eyelashes. "Part timers have to be at least a brown belt to join."

My jaw dropped. "Oh, come on, Tony--"

"No excuses. Monday morning you're with Cap, Widow, and Sam. Bye bye, Frosty."

"I hate you."

"Told you so."


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and Loki deal with the fallout of the rescue, and their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter. It's been a helluva journey, hasn't it? Enjoy!

Currently, I only knew two ways to handle stress: food and sleep.

I took a long nap, showered, dressed, and then slouched into the kitchen to make some food. Tony had ordered everyone to take the day off for mental health reasons. Sam, Cap, and Widow drove into town to spend the day in New York and decompress. Vision and Wanda also absconded together. Bruce and Tony returned to Stark Tower, leaving just me, Thor, and Loki rattling around in the compound.

I heard Thor's heavy steps behind me as I stood at the counter, chopping veggies, and then his rumbling voice. "Milady."

"Milord," I drawled back, flicking him a smile over my shoulder. "How come you didn't decide to head out like everyone else?"

"Same reason as you," he admitted after a swig from a Gatorade bottle. He'd just finished working out, so he wore a sleeveless top and basketball shorts. It looked... _Christ_ , did that workout clothing look fucking good on him. But then again, so did everything. "Wanted to keep an eye on Loki."

I scowled then. "What makes you think that's why I stayed?"

He lifted an eyebrow. "You have good sense, milady."

I snorted and dumped the carrots into the simmering stew. "I've been schtupping the God of Mischief. I think we both know I don't have good sense."

He chuckled. "You are very self-deprecating."

"I know. Bad habit."

He peeked into the pot. "What are you making?"

"Chicken, mushroom, and barley soup."

Thor's eyebrows lifted. "You cook, milady?"

"Girl's gotta eat. And it's kind of fun."

He stole a mushroom from the cutting board. "Mm, that it is. How can I help?"

I pointed to the ingredients on the island counter. "Any good with pastry?"

"Aye."

"Good. Start making the cheddar biscuits. Instructions are on my phone. Just open the browser."

Thor grinned. "You trust me with your phone? I'm honored."

I rolled my eyes. "There's nothing incriminating on it."

"Well," he said, scooping it up and flicking his thumb across the screen, a bit of a teasing lilt in his voice. "I can't say I'm not disappointed."

I stifled a laugh. "Are you always this flirty, God of Thunder?"

"Tis all in good fun," he said as he grabbed some measuring cups. Thor had been living in the compound some months before Tony recruited me, so by now I could tell he'd gotten used to domestic things like cooking and understanding more Midgardian technology. Nat had told me she'd had a ball teaching him how to work different things. He picked them all up rather quickly and it was no real surprise--Thor seemed to be the perfect combination between a friendly jock and a nerd, if Nat's stories were any indication. "Besides, it's been a while since I've had the attentions of a pretty girl."

"What about Valkyrie?"

He snorted. "Oh, she pretends she doesn't like me. I can't flirt with her very often."

"To be fair," I said, dusting off my hands and reaching for the seasoning. "I'm pretty sure everyone who meets you falls in love with you instantly."

"Present company included?"

"It's taken all of my will power not to propose to you on the spot."

Thor laughed. "I'm flattered."

"You should be." I finished seasoning the soup and set the timer, then grabbed a pan for the biscuits. He finished the dough and I scooped out handfuls, molding them and placing them there one by one. Afterward, we both washed our hands.

He nudged my shoulder. "Care to check on our patient or shall I?"

I sighed. "I've been avoiding him all day. I should probably go."

He offered me the hand towel. "If you want my advice, don't go easy on him. You more than deserve to be angry and he needs to understand what he's put us all through with this stunt. I'd be happy to give him a good beating at your command, should it make you feel any better."

I smiled up at him. "You're so sweet, Thor."

He beamed at me. "Good luck, milady. I'll keep an eye on your biscuits."

I lifted an eyebrow. "You want to rephrase that?"

He winked at me as he sidled past. "I meant what I said."

I shook my head and headed for Loki's room. I also added an extra wiggle to my hips and Thor's laugh followed me out.

FRIDAY scanned my face in the panel beside the door. There was a short pause and then the door hissed open on its own, which was a nifty feature if you got a visitor while you were busy. I strode into Loki's apartment for the first time, slightly nervous for some reason.

True to form, Loki's room had all black furniture and an actual sheepskin rug beneath the lacquer coffee table. Bookshelves lined the walls in the den, packed to burst, stacks and stacks like he'd been hoarding them. They were in many different languages, some alien and some from Earth. I'd definitely like to see what alien literature was like someday. Maybe he or Thor could teach me another language.

There were small glass figurines here and there and oil paintings on the walls, which meant he cared to make the space his own unlike me. I smelled pine in the air as I walked through the living area towards his bedroom, and it helped me relax a little.

Loki lay in bed with a few pillows stacked against his back, still bruised and slightly pale, but healthier than when we'd first found him. He had a flat screen TV with 10 Things I Hate About You playing its final few scenes, and he didn't glance at me as I walked in. His expression was carefully neutral.

"Loki," I said, sitting by his feet.

"Darling," he said.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'll survive." He finally looked at me. "Are you well?"

"Well enough."

"I heard Stark ordered everyone to take the day off. Shouldn't you be in that Tuscan villa enjoying yourself?"

I shrugged, crossing my arms. "It's kind of boring to go by yourself, honestly."

Loki's eyes flashed momentarily. "You could always take my brother."

I stared at him. "Seriously?"

"What?"

"Are you really pulling the jealousy card right now?"

He scowled. "I heard enough in the Quinjet to know the two of you are getting along suspiciously well."

I rubbed my sinuses. "You are the dumbest smart person I have ever met."

"Forgive me," he deadpanned. "But Thor has a particular effect on the fairer sex."

"You don't get to be jealous, Loki," I snapped. "Not unless we establish something outside of what we've been doing."

"Which is what, exactly?" he snarled back. "Do enlighten me."

"Loki, we've been fucking like wild animals. It doesn't mean we're in a relationship. It doesn't mean you get to make calls like you did when you lied to Ebony Maw to spare my life. You could have gotten yourself killed. Do you understand what it would have done to me to have your blood on my hands?"

"The same it would have done to me, I imagine," he growled back. "You should have stayed out of my affairs in the first place."

"Oh, that's just fucking rich," I said, throwing up my hands. "Blame everyone but yourself for taking the Tesseract and bringing Thanos and his children down on our heads."

"You don't know anything about me, girl," he sneered. "Don't pretend that you do simply because you've seen one side of me."

"I've seen enough, Loki. You're a selfish prick with delusions of grandeur. I risk my neck saving you and all you do in return is bitch about me lusting after your gorgeous half-brother and insist I don't understand you when you're the one keeping me out in the first goddamn place. You are a fucking piece of work, you know that? If you want to be alone, fine. Be alone. You seem to already be pretty fucking great at it, after all."

I launched myself up, intent on stomping out, but he grabbed my wrist and threw me on the bed. He slammed both my arms flat to the mattress and kissed me, hard, crushing me flat beneath him. My stupid body betrayed me immediately. I went limp in his grip, moaning as he bit my lower lip and slid his tongue inside my mouth. He tasted like scotch and red grapes. Yum.

He didn't pull back until we'd both been straining to breathe. The dim light from the TV shone on half of his face and made his eyes almost glow in the dark.

"Don't go," he whispered. "You damned, stubborn, irritating woman."

"Why shouldn't I?" I asked him. "Give me one good reason."

"I told you once that to love is to tear open your shirt and invite someone to stab you in the heart." He lifted my hand and pressed my palm over his pectoral, where his heart hammered wildly. "It seems that I'm willing to bleed for you after all."

Oh boy. We were in some seriously deadly territory here. _Say something, idiot._ "Loki, I..."

I struggled with the right words. "Are you saying that you want this to be more than sex?"

He gave a little snort. "Darling, it already is. You don't risk your life for a mere sexual partner, and yet both of us did it without hesitation."

Well, he had a point. "I worried for your safety. I was jealous when I saw you with Thor. When you threatened to leave, I didn't want you to go. Whatever this is, it's not just about sex. The question remains if you care to find out what it is the same as I do."

My heart hammered just as wildly as his. "Loki, you're a god. I'm just a nobody."

He brushed my hair behind my ear. "Not to me."

"Shit," I whispered, my throat tight. "I swear if you fall in love with me, I'll kick your ass."

Loki grinned as he reached for my lips again. "That's my girl."

I shuddered as he slipped one hand between us enough to slid it inside my jeans. "L-Loki, don't, your brother might hear us--"

"Then I guess you'll just have to be quiet, won't you, darling?" he purred, pure deviousness in his eyes once his fingers found their intended target.

Ten minutes later, I strode back into the break room smoothing down my mussed hair and wrinkled t-shirt. I popped the pot of soup open to check on it and felt Thor's very, very amused gaze on my back.

"Not a word, Odinson," I said through my teeth without turning around. "Not. One. _Word_."

Silence. Then, "Your biscuits are cooked, milady."

I threw a wooden spoon at his head.

Life really was _so_ much simpler before aliens invaded New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you're going to miss this story, don't be too sad. There's a short sequel! https://archiveofourown.org/works/17171801 
> 
> Thanks for all the hilarious comments, kudos, and encouragement. I hope you had just as much fun thirsting as I did.

**Author's Note:**

> Recently, I've fallen on some rough times and it would be an enormous help if you enjoyed this fic to drop a few bucks into my Kofi: https://ko-fi.com/birdofhermes. Every little bit helps, trust me, and I'd be eternally grateful. Thanks, guys.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Eye of the Storm](https://archiveofourown.org/works/18402206) by [BirdOfHermes](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BirdOfHermes/pseuds/BirdOfHermes)




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